CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Thursday, Carowinds is expected to remove the fractured support column from the Fury 325 roller coaster and replace it with a new steel column. 

On June 30, Fury 325 closed after park personnel became of aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar. Fury 325 is the fastest and tallest giga coaster of its kind in the U.S. and is North America’s longest steel coaster. 

Parkgoer Jeremy Wagner noticed the fracture of the steel column from the parking lot as he was leaving the park. He took pictures and a video of the crack around 6:45 p.m.

“I looked at the other pillars before and after it and those didn’t have cracks, and I was like, ‘I’m not an engineer, but that’s not supposed to be there,” Wagner said. 

Soon after, he said he alerted staff in the parking area and guest services about the issue. After leaving the park, he also contacted the Charlotte Fire Department to ensure the ride was taken offline. 

“For my peace of mind, I needed to know they shut the ride down,” Wagner said. 

The Catawba County resident is a former paramedic and volunteer firefighter. 

“It wasn’t just that immediate fear of crashing to the ground, I started thinking ahead of time. What else would happen after that, and I think that comes from my past emergency services experience,” Wagner said. 

Wagner had been at Carowinds most of the day with his two children and two other teenagers. He didn’t go on any rides this time around but the four children rode Fury 325 several times. 

“A lot of people said, 'how do you feel about your kids being on?' It’s not just my kids. It’s other people’s kids; it’s moms, dads, grandparents. Everyone rides that coaster,” Wagner said. 

He is surprised the fracture wasn’t caught during daily inspections. 

“Like a lot of people said, why did it take a bystander, a parkgoer, to see it? It doesn’t matter how it was seen or whatever. What matters is that it was shut down and the possibility of injuries and death was prevented,” Wagner said. 

In a statement, Carowinds said the safety of their guests and associates will always be their top priority. According to Carowinds, since July 1, the park maintenance team and representatives from the ride’s manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc. (B&M), have conducted inspections of the entire crack, support columns and foundation. 

On Thursday, the new support column is expected to be delivered. After the successful installation and as-built survey, the coaster will undergo testing and inspections. 

“I feel that’s a pretty proper procedure,” Wagner said. 

The amusement park also plans to operate the ride for 500 full cycles, performing tests and inspections during that period. Once this phase is completed, inspections from the ride’s manufacturer and a third party will follow. 

“B&M is regarded as one of the premier ride manufacturers in the world, with an impeccable reputation for quality and engineering. It’s important to understand that rides like Fury 325 are designed with redundancies in place to ensure the safety of guests in the event of an issue such as this,” Carowinds said in a statement. 

Moving forward, Carowinds is also implementing the use of drones to access and inspect hard to reach areas. 

“It kind of makes you wonder, why haven’t they done this already? But, it’s one of these situations that a lot of stuff won’t get done until there is an incident to bring light to the situation,” Wagner said. 

Wagner is glad he spoke up and plans to return to the park this summer. 

“I would like to be ensured that they have their safety protocols and if anything, that it may be even safer on every ride,” Wagner said. 

According to Carowinds, it plans to collaborate with the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau to prepare Fury 325 for reopening. 

The North Carolina Department of Labor said these types of incidents are very rare and permanent rides, including Fury 325, are inspected every year. 

In February, the ride passed all yearly inspections. The N.C. Department of Labor adds that Fury 325 won’t reopen until the agency can ensure it’s safe.