![]() He pulled out his phone and hit record, zooming in on the crack to show the support pillar move slightly out of place as passengers flew by.īefore you go to an amusement park, read this The agency didn’t share anything else about the nature of its inquiry.Īt the park with family, Wagner knew something was wrong when he spotted the aperture in the coaster’s infrastructure, he told CNN. Personnel with the department’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau were expected to visit the site. Safety always has been and always will be our top priority.” “We will be able to make a full assessment and provide further information as it becomes available. “The North Carolina Department of Labor … (has) inspectors on site who are working to gather more information,” the agency said midday Monday. It’s one of the tallest and longest rides in a massive park that straddles the North and South Carolina state line. The Fury 325 will stay closed until inspections and repairs happen, park officials have said. ![]() “I think always subconsciously we think something might happen in the back of our minds, but I also know that they do have people's lives in their hands so they're going to make sure that they do what they're supposed to do on their end.”Įven when amusement park mishaps don't result in injuries, they can still upend vacations and cause headaches for summer fun-seekers.Roller coaster at Carowinds closes after discovery of a crack in a support pillar “As far as any other safety concerns, I don’t believe there are any,” Powers said. “An excellent safety record is in the best interest of the industry, and leaders within it are committed to providing safe and secure attractions for all their guests and visitors.”įor Steven Powers, a resident of Columbia, South Carolina who visited Carowinds Monday with friends, the positive atmosphere of the park outweighs any worries. “Safety is the top priority for the global attractions industry,” Dineen said. That year, more than 1,200 ride-related injuries were reported out of the typical 1.7 billion rides that take place each year across 400 locations in North America. ![]() Several Carowinds visitors said they were aware that the ride had been closed for repairs, but they were not deterred from enjoying the park's other attractions.Ī 2021 survey compiled on behalf of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions found “0.9 injuries per million rides,” said Caitlin Dineen, the group's spokesperson. Meanwhile, Carowinds said in a statement that all of its rides, including Fury 325, are inspected daily “to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity.” Tommy Petty, chief of the state Department of Labor’s Amusement Device Bureau, confirmed investigators “already came and went” from Carowinds on Monday but declined to share details about their findings. Those answers remained largely unknown as state investigators were on site in Monday morning. ![]() The park, which straddles the North Carolina and South Carolina line, closed the ride late last week as questions swirled about how the crack occurred. Video footage of the Charlotte-based Carowinds' popular Fury 325 - known as a “Giga coaster” due to its dramatic height of 325 feet (99 meters) - showed a key support beam bending with the top visibly detached as cars packed with unsuspecting passengers whirled by at speeds of up to 95 mph (150 kph). A visible crack in the support beam of a North Carolina roller coaster served as a reminder of the risks that sometimes arise with amusement park rides, particularly as families and adrenaline junkies flock to the attractions in summer.
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