Jeremy Wagner was at the Carowinds rollercoaster near Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday when he discovered something highly alarming. There was a giant split in the support beam upholding one of the amusement park’s main rollercoasters named the Fury 325. Wagner uploaded the proof to Facebook and told park staff, before leaving the park.
However Wagner said he still felt “uneasy” about it and subsequently made a 911 emergency call to the Charlotte Fire Department which led to the shutdown of the ride. Carowinds now says the ride is closed indefinitely until full repairs can be completed and acknowledges there was a large “crack at the top of a steel support pillar” on the Fury 325.
The state-run inspection of the rollercoaster started on Monday after the report issued on Friday following Wagner’s observation and complaint. It is still unclear what led to the damage and how long the ride was compromised before being noted by Wagner on June 30. The Fury 325 is made by Bolliger and Mabillard, a Swiss company headquartered in Monthey, Switzerland which will most likely assist in fixing whatever occurred in the pillar, which appears to possibly be a broken weld.
Carowinds park says that every ride at the amusement park is inspected “daily” for all potential safety issues and the integrity of the structure. The state’s Labor Department says they have not received any complaints or observed any issues in the ride in the past. Carowinds marked its 50th birthday this year, although the Fury 325 has only been open since 2015.
The Fury 325 fits a maximum of 1,470 people each hour and the ride has a duration of three-and-a-half minutes. Carowind claims that the Fury 325 is the highest, “fastest and longest giga coaster” in the United States, reaching a velocity of 95 miles per hour and climbing to an altitude of 325 feet (higher than the Statue of Liberty) before plunging downwards at a sharp 81 degrees.
