Current:Home > reviewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Wealth Empowerment Zone
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-18 10:36:47
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! (9)
Related
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Ashley Judd: I'm calling on Biden to step aside. Beating Trump is too important.
- 2024 ESPYS: Prince Harry Gives Nod to Late Mom Princess Diana in Emotional Speech
- US wholesale inflation picked up in June in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- JPMorgan Q2 profit jumps as bank cashes in Visa shares, but higher interest rates also help results
- Social Security recipients could see the smallest COLA increase since 2021. Here's what to expect.
- Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster denies grooming, sexual assault accusations
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Kim Kardashian Shares Tip of Finger Broke Off During Accident More Painful Than Childbirth
Ranking
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Biden to hold news conference today amid debate over his 2024 campaign. Here's what to know before he speaks.
- Milwaukee hotel workers fired after death of Black man pinned down outside
- Vermonters pummeled by floods exactly 1 year apart begin another cleanup
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Fast-moving fire destroys Philadelphia apartment building, displacing dozens of residents
- RHOC: Inside Shannon Beador & Alexis Bellino's Explosive First Confrontation Over John Janssen
- North Carolina governor commutes 4 sentences, pardons 4 others
Recommendation
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Backers of ballot initiative to preserve right to abortions in Montana sue over signature rules
Top Biden aides meet with Senate Democrats amid concerns about debate
This week on Sunday Morning (July 14)
Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
Families of workers killed in Idaho airport hangar collapse sue construction company
Colombian warlord linked to over 1,500 murders and disappearances released from prison
2024 ESPY Awards: Winners and highlights from ESPN show