Current:Home > reviewsA roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it. -FundPrime
A roller coaster was shut down after a crack was found in a support beam. A customer says he spotted it.
View
Date:2025-04-11 22:07:00
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! (9234)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- A big tax refund can be a lifesaver, but is it better to withhold less and pay more later?
- More than a dozen injured after tour boat and charter boat crash in Miami waters, officials
- How's your defense industry knowledge?
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- 49ers players say they didn't know new Super Bowl overtime rules or discuss strategy
- Usher Marries Jennifer Goicoechea in Vegas Ceremony During Super Bowl 2024 Weekend
- Sports betting around Super Bowl 58 appears to have broken several records
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- Bob Edwards, longtime NPR 'Morning Edition' host, dies at 76: 'A trusted voice'
Ranking
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Royal Caribbean Passenger Dies Aboard 9-Month Ultimate World Cruise
- Trump indicates he would encourage Russian aggression against NATO allies who don't meet spending targets
- Uber, Lyft and DoorDash drivers set to walk off the job on Valentine's Day
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- The best and worst Super Bowl commercials of 2024: Watch this year's outlier ads
- Dolly Parton breaks silence Elle King's 'hammered' Grand Ole Opry tribute
- Israeli military says it rescued 2 hostages during Rafah raid; Gaza officials say dozens of Palestinians killed
Recommendation
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
'Choco Taco' resurrected through Taco Bell, Salt & Straw partnership, brands reveal
Grover the Muppet becomes a journalist, shining a light on the plight of the industry
Man imprisoned for running unlicensed bitcoin business owes victims $3.5 million, judge rules
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Veteran police officer named new Indianapolis police chief, weeks after being named acting chief
Angela Chao, CEO of Foremost Group and Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law, dies in car accident
Why Kate Winslet Says Aftermath of Titanic Was “Horrible”