Carowinds roller coaster shut down days after a crack appeared while people were riding
As unsuspecting riders screamed in delight on Carowinds’ popular Fury 325 roller coaster over the past week, a crack began to form in one of the steel support pillars that hold the track hundreds of feet above the ground, a North Carolina woman’s photographs revealed Saturday.
By Friday, according to photos and videos posted online, the crack had completely severed the pillar. The park says it inspects its rides every day, but it wasn’t until Friday that the Fury was closed, after the crack was reported to officials.
Inspectors from the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau plan to be at Carowinds Monday to investigate, department spokeswoman Erin Wilson said Saturday night.
Shelby resident Tiffany Collins Newton posted a photo on Facebook she said she took June 24 of the sunset behind the Fury. She also posted a closeup photo of what appears to show the crack beginning to form.
“Looks like it had just started,” Newton said in her Facebook post. “Or am I crazy?! Someone’s going to be in big trouble, yikes ... ”
Newton said she noticed the crack only after checking her photograph again Friday after news of the large crack spread across social media and news outlets.
NC begins Carowinds roller coaster review after ‘rare’ crack found. Here’s what we know.
“Things happen,” Newton said on Facebook. “I just hope this leads to MORE inspections and extensive safety checks in the future. Thank God nothing bad came of it and no one was injured before this was caught.”
A visitor at a North Carolina amusement park spotted a large crack on a roller coaster's pillar on Friday. The ride, which was billed as one of the tallest of its kind, has now been closed as crews make repairs. https://t.co/byU96e5EmL pic.twitter.com/b2lQhX4SKM
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 3, 2023
Newton didn’t reply to a request for comment from the Observer Saturday.
Former paramedic Jeremy Wagner told WBTV he alerted officials Friday after spotting the crack while waiting in the Carowinds parking lot to pick up his children.
Wagner posted video of the crack on the Carowinds Fans Only Facebook page. The video shows a roller coaster car, full of riders, zooming past the area of the crack. Riders can be heard in the video screaming around a curve, seemingly unaware of the large crack in the support.
Carowinds has temporarily shut down the Fury 325, a spokeswoman said Saturday.
“The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection, and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed,” spokeswoman Courtney Weber said in an email to The Charlotte Observer.
“Safety is our top priority, and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process,” Weber said.
As part of Carowinds’ “comprehensive safety protocols,” Fury 325 and all other rides at the park are inspected daily “to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity,” Weber said.
Weber didn’t immediately reply again Saturday night when the Observer asked in an email how Carowinds inspectors missed the crack if they inspect rides every day.
In 2018, Carowinds was named among Time’s top 10 best amusement parks in the country, with Fury 325 recognized as the hottest ride in the park, the Observer reported at the time.
The Fury 325 can reach speeds of up to 95 mph during its 81-degree plunge, the Observer reported.
The steel roller debuted in 2015 featuring a 1.2-mile track that reaches a height of 325 feet. That made it the fifth-tallest roller coaster in the world and the tallest among coasters using a traditional chain lift hill.
The coaster travels into both North Carolina and South Carolina.
Carowinds is an amusement and theme park bordering the states.
