CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Queen City News has uncovered more details about the Fury 325 roller coaster at Carowinds. At this time, it’s still shut down after a park visitor noticed a break in one of the support beams over the weekend.
Carowinds roller coasters, including the Fury 325, have had a history of problems, which have put riders and the people who work on them at risk.
Almost all of the situations involved malfunctions on the rides themselves. While Carowinds says they inspect the rides before each day, these situations were still able to happen.
Carowinds is one of the most eyed spots for roller coaster riders. Its coasters christened with nationally recognized awards.
Those accomplishments – dwarfed by consistent problems. Since 2015, there have been malfunctions or injuries on the WindSeeker, The Flying Cobras, Electro-Spin, Copperhead Strike, and Fury 325.
In April 2015, a lever malfunction caused Fury 325 riders to become stuck. Almost a full year later, power outages at the park would lead riders stranded more than 100 feet in the air on the popular WindSeeker.
Fast forward to March 2019.
“We got a man up on the WindSeeker, saying he needs the platform. He’s hurt real bad. Said he lost his hand.”
A contracted employee lost his hand on the popular WindSeeker.
The employee was doing maintenance on part of the ride, closed off from the public.
“He said ‘My hand’s cut off.’ He’s bleeding everywhere. He said he needed help.”
The ride, which sits on the South Carolina side, was shut down. Six months later, OSHA fined the park’s parent company, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. Six serious violations were found.
It would only be five months later when a rider on the recently opened Copperhead Strike would have their thumb broken by a seat malfunction.
In April 2022, the Electro-Spin ride did everything but spin — when it became stuck in mid-air. Less than a month later, the same thing happened on The Flying Cobras leaving riders trapped, strapped in for 45 minutes staring at the ground.
Parkgoer Jeremy Wagner, who discovered Fury 325’s large break, spoke with News Nation:
This Monday, North Carolina Department of Labor inspectors were out looking at Fury 325. At this time, they are not revealing what they have found or how long they think the break has been there. A state inspection in February 2023 found no issues on Fury 325.
Statement from Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc.:
“We have a representative from our company on site. We will continue to work closely with Carowinds to determine the cause, the repair, and the reopening of the coaster. Please rest assured that safety is our top priority.”