Current:Home > NewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Wealth Legacy Solutions
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-03-11 07:11:18
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! (89)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
- LeBron James steams over replay reversal in Lakers' loss: 'It doesn't make sense to me'
- NFL draft has been on tour for a decade and the next stop is Detroit, giving it a shot in spotlight
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Mother's Day Gift Guide: No-Fail Gifts That Will Make Mom Smile
- Korean War veteran from Minnesota will finally get his Purple Heart medal, 73 years late
- Richmond Mayor Stoney drops Virginia governor bid, he will run for lieutenant governor instead
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- $6,500 school vouchers coming to Georgia as bill gets final passage and heads to governor
Ranking
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Kim Kardashian Reveals Her Polarizing Nipple Bra Was Molded After Her Own Breasts
- Jason Kelce scorches Messi, MLS: 'Like Michael Jordan on a golf course.' Is he right?
- NYU pro-Palestinian protesters cleared out by NYPD, several arrests made. See the school's response.
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- What to know in the Supreme Court case about immunity for former President Trump
- Romance scammers turn victims into money mules, creating a legal minefield for investigators
- Ex-police officer pleads guilty to punching man in custody about 13 times
Recommendation
Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
Kid Cudi Breaks His Foot After Leaping Off Coachella Stage
Both bodies found five days after kayaks capsized going over a dangerous dam in Indianapolis
The Most Expensive Celebrities on Cameo – and They’re Worth the Splurge
'Most Whopper
Julia Fox and More Stars Defend Taylor Swift Against Piece About Fan Fatigue
FTC sues to block $8.5 billion merger of Coach and Michael Kors owners
Police find body of missing Maine man believed killed after a search that took nearly a year