A crack began to form in one of the steel support pillars that hold the track hundreds of feet above the ground
As unsuspecting riders screamed in delight on Carowinds’ popular Fury 325 rollercoaster 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.
“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.”
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.
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