Current:Home > StocksA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -SecureWealth Bridge
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-12 03:26:06
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! (24)
Related
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Scientists say study found a direct link between greenhouse gas emissions and polar bear survival
- North Carolina State's Rakeim Ashford stretchered off field during game vs. UConn
- Indiana Republican Party elects longtime activist Anne Hathaway its new chairperson
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Understaffed nursing homes are a huge problem, and Biden's promised fix 'sabotaged'
- In final hours before landfall, Hurricane Idalia stopped intensifying and turned from Tallahassee
- Governor activates Massachusetts National Guard to help with migrant crisis
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- AP Election Brief | What to expect in Rhode Island’s special primaries
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- What has Biden started doing differently? Test yourself in this week's news quiz
- Gil Brandt, longtime Cowboys personnel executive and scouting pioneer, dies at 91
- Russia reports more drone attacks as satellite photos indicate earlier barrage destroyed 2 aircraft
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Justice Clarence Thomas discloses flights, lodging from billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow in filing
- Fifth inmate dead in five weeks at troubled Georgia jail being probed by feds
- Playboi Carti postpones US leg of Antagonist Tour to 2024 a week before launch
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Affected by Idalia or Maui fires? Here's how to get federal aid
Russia reports more drone attacks as satellite photos indicate earlier barrage destroyed 2 aircraft
Former state senator accused of spending COVID-19 relief loan on luxury cars
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
EBY's Seamless Bralettes & Briefs Are What Your Intimates Drawer Has Been Missing
Remains of Army Pfc. Arthur Barrett, WWII soldier who died as prisoner of war, buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Grammy-winning British conductor steps away from performing after allegedly hitting a singer