Current:Home > ContactA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Excel Wealth Summit
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-13 22:50:05
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! (3187)
Related
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Reality TV’s Chrisleys are appealing their bank fraud and tax evasion convictions in federal court
- 'Harry Potter,' 'Star Wars' actor Warwick Davis mourns death of wife Samantha
- Pennsylvania school district cancel’s actor’s speech over concerns of activism, ‘lifestyle’
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Days-long eruption of Indonesia's Ruang volcano forces hundreds to evacuate as sky fills with red ash
- Nevada Supreme Court rulings hand setbacks to gun-right defenders and anti-abortion activists
- Baby boomers are hitting peak 65. Two-thirds don't have nearly enough saved for retirement.
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- San Francisco sues Oakland over new airport name that includes ‘San Francisco’
Ranking
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- Indianapolis man charged with murder in fatal shootings of 3 at apartment complex
- Jenna Bush Hager says 'mama's done' after losing kid at daughter's birthday party
- Hawaii Supreme Court chides state’s legal moves on water after deadly Maui wildfire
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Ex-Indianapolis elementary teacher orchestrated 'fight club'-style disciplinary system, lawsuit says
- 'Harry Potter,' 'Star Wars' actor Warwick Davis mourns death of wife Samantha
- Most student loan borrowers have delayed major life events due to debt, recent poll says
Recommendation
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
Maryland teen charged with planning school shooting after police review writings, internet searches
Two arrested in 'draining' scheme involving 4,100 tampered gift cards: What to know about the scam
Coyotes officially leaving Arizona for Salt Lake City following approval of sale to Utah Jazz owners
'Most Whopper
Florida will open schools to volunteer chaplains
Ashanti and Nelly are engaged and expecting their first child together
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler will miss play-in game vs. Chicago Bulls with sprained knee