Amusement park shuts down rollercoaster after social media user notices crack
An amusement park visitor got a roller coaster temporarily shut down when he noticed a crack in the ride's support structure.
Jeremy Wagner was visiting Carowinds in North Carolina when he noticed that the Fury 325 giga roller coaster had a crack in a support pillar.
Wagner alerted authorities and the ride was temporarily shut down so that an inspection could take place.
Advert
A spokesperson for the park said: "Carowinds closed Fury 325 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, all rides, including Fury 325, undergo daily inspections to ensure their proper functioning and structural integrity."
On the park's website, Fury 325 was described as the 'tallest, fastest, longest giga coaster in North America.'
It reaches speeds of up to 95 mph and has a peak height of 325 feet, which is followed by a stomach churning 81-degree drop.
According to CBS, a 911 call was made by another park goer regarding the crack.
Nobody has been injured as a result of the crack.
Wagner wasn't the first person to notice the fault in the infrastructure as another park visitor, Tiffany Collins Newton, had snapped a pic showing the crack on June 24.
It was only when news emerged of the ride being closed on Friday that Newton revisited her photo and noticed the crack had appeared.
She wrote on Facebook: "So about Fury… I haven’t been to the park since last Saturday, but I’ve always took photos from the parking lot of the skyline. I decided to look back and see if the crack was visible last week… well, it was.
"Of course I’ll ride it when it’s repaired. Things happen… 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. Get well soon, Fury."
Yikes.
In 2018, Carowinds was named among Time magazine's best amusement parks in the country, with Fury 325 recognized as the most exciting ride in the park, the Carolina Observer reported at the time.
The ride first opened in 2015 and has been recognised as the fifth tallest in the world.
Ben Thompson