Current:Home > StocksA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -CapitalCourse
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-17 02:14:23
An amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, closed one of its roller coasters Friday after a crack was found on a support beam.
Carowinds shut down Fury 325, which the park's website advertises as the "tallest, fastest, longest giga coaster in North America" that crosses into both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Video of the ride showed the crack in the beam as cars packed with riders whizzed by.
Park patron Jeremy Wagner told CBS Charlotte, N.C. affiliate WBTV he was the one who spotted the crack and took the video.
He said he was waiting for his kids to finish one last ride on the coaster when, "I look up and I see a light come through the pole."
When the next car came by, he pulled out his phone and videoed it.
Wagner told WBTV what he saw when he played it back sent a shock through his chest.
"When the car came by," he said, "I saw (the beam) move."
Posted by Jeremy Wagner on Friday, June 30, 2023
(Credit: Jeremy Wagner via Storyful)
He told The New York Times that as he was shooting the video, "My hands were shaking because I knew how quick this could be catastrophic."
Wagner told WBTV he immediately showed the video to park security to have them shut the ride but didn't get a clear answer on whether park officials would. But Wagner eventually called the fire department and learned that his video did indeed prompt the shutdown of the Fury.
"My heart was like relieved because I was just afraid ... are they gonna do the right thing? I just didn't want to see something bad happen," he remarked to WBTV.
"It takes one time, just one time" for tragedy to strike, he said.
Tiffany Collins Newton told CBS News that on June 24, she took a photo that appeared to show "the beginnings of the crack" on the roller coaster. She said she did not notice the crack until after the ride was closed on Friday and she zoomed in on her recent photos.
The park said in a statement that it shut the ride "after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar. The park's maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed. Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process.
"As part of our comprehensive safety protocols," the statement continued, "all rides, including Fury 325, undergo daily inspections to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity."
Fury 325 first opened to the public in 2015 and cost approximately $30 million to build, according to news reports.
Carowinds didn't say how long repairs would take. The rest of the park will remain open.
State officials said they were going to inspect the ride Monday.
veryGood! (69)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- There’s too much guesswork in renting an Airbnb. The short-term rental giant is trying to fix that
- Grand Ole ... Cirque du Soleil? New show will celebrate Nashville's country music
- NFL Week 10 odds: Moneylines, point spreads, over/under
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Gas prices are plunging below $3 a gallon in some states. Here's what experts predict for the holidays.
- Alabama sets January execution date using nitrogen gas
- Michigan responds to Big Ten, saying commissioner doesn’t have discipline authority, AP sources say
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Maine looks to pay funeral costs for families of mass shooting victims
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Disney reports sharp profit growth in the fourth quarter; shares rise
- Walmart to start daily sensory-friendly hours in its stores this week: Here's why
- Former NFL Player Matt Ulrich Dead at 41
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- 'We all want you back': Ex-Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl champion Matt Ulrich, 41, dies
- Who has surprised in 2023: Charting how the NFL power rankings have shifted this season
- 7 Nashville officers on ‘administrative assignment’ after Covenant school shooter’s writings leaked
Recommendation
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Adidas says it may write off remaining unsold Yeezy shoes after breakup with Ye
College Football Playoff rankings: Ohio State, Oklahoma among winners and losers
Los Angeles coroner’s investigator accused of stealing a crucifix from around the neck of a dead man
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Bridging an ocean, Angolan king visits Brazilian community descended from slaves
Voters in in small Iowa city decide not to give their City Council more control over library books
Feds, local officials on high alert as reports of antisemitism, Islamophobia surge