Current:Home > reviewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -ProWealth Academy
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 19:58:34
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! (4643)
Related
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Self-funded political newcomer seeks to oust longtime Republican US Rep. Tom Cole in Oklahoma
- 2024 Olympic Trials schedule: Time, Date, how to watch Swimming, Track & Field and Gymnastics
- California’s Black legislators make case for reparations bills while launching statewide tour
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- In a first, one company is making three-point seatbelts standard on all school buses
- A small plane crash in upstate New York kills the pilot
- Wells Fargo employees fired after fake-work claim turns up keyboard sim, Bloomberg reports
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Newborn baby found abandoned near Texas walking trail
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- No survivors as twin-engine Cessna crashes in Colorado mobile home park
- Selling Sunset's Mary Fitzgerald Bonnet Sets Record Straight on Possible Christine Quinn Return
- HBO's 'Hard Knocks' to feature entire NFL division for first time, will follow AFC North race
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Kylian Mbappe suffered a nose injury in France's win over Austria at UEFA Euro 2024
- This law is a lifeline for pregnant workers even as an abortion dispute complicates its enforcement
- Fisker files for bankruptcy protection, the second electric vehicle maker to do so in the past year
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
GOP claims Trump could win Minnesota, New Jersey, Virginia in 2024 election. Here's what Democrats say.
Sheriff says 2 of 9 people wounded in Michigan shooting at splash pad remain in critical condition
Retired AP reporter Hoyt Harwell dies at 93; covered key events in the American South
North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, I Won't Stand For It!
Céline Dion Makes Rare Red Carpet Appearance With Son Rene-Charles Angelil
Man accused of acting as lookout during Whitey Bulger's prison killing avoids more jail time