Current:Home > NewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -Streamline Finance
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:56:49
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! (36)
Related
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- Natural History Museum vows better stewardship of human bones
- These House Republicans voted against Jim Jordan's speaker bid in the first round
- Natalee Holloway suspect expected to plead guilty to extortion charges
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- What did Michael Penix Jr. do when Washington was down vs. Oregon? Rapped about a comeback
- U.S. gets a C+ in retirement, on par with Kazakhstan and lagging other wealthy nations
- Brawl in Houston courtroom as murdered girl’s family tries to attack her killer after guilty plea
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Suzanne Somers' death has devastated fans. It's OK to grieve.
Ranking
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- After Israel's expected Gaza invasion, David Petraeus says there needs to be a vision for what happens next
- Musk’s X tests $1 fee for new users in the Philippines and New Zealand in bid to target spam
- Cleanup cost for nuclear contamination sites has risen nearly $1 billion since 2016, report says
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Gaza carnage spreads anger across Mideast, alarming US allies and threatening to widen conflict
- Michael Caine reveals he is retiring from acting after false announcement in 2021
- Mayor denies discussing absentee ballots with campaign volunteer at center of ballot stuffing claims
Recommendation
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Australian journalist says she was detained for 3 years in China for breaking an embargo
Prison guard warned that Danilo Cavalcante planned escape a month before he fled, emails show
South Carolina teen elected first Black homecoming queen in school's 155 years of existence
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Trevor May rips Oakland A's owner John Fisher in retirement stream: 'Sell the team dude'
Pentagon releases footage of hundreds of ‘highly concerning’ aircraft intercepts by Chinese planes
Britney Spears Says She Was Pregnant With Justin Timberlake's Baby Before They Decided to Get Abortion