Man Who Saw Crack in Roller Coaster Said Staff Were Nonchalant
Jeremy Wagner said employees seemed "nonchalant" about a crack in a roller coaster's support beam.
"I felt there was no urgency in any of the employees," Wagner told CNN.
Carowinds said it shut down the roller coaster on Friday and was "conducting a thorough inspection."
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A man who spotted a large crack on a North Carolina roller coaster's support beam said the amusement park's staff were unconcerned when he warned them about it.
"I felt there was no urgency in any of the employees," Jeremy Wagner, who brought his children to Carowinds amusement park on Friday, told CNN on Tuesday.
"Even after they had me AirDrop the video, the guest-services person walked off and said, 'I'll send this to somebody.' And they just turned around and walked off, you know, nonchalant," Wagner continued.
The local news station WCNC reported that Carowinds temporarily shut down its flagship roller coaster on Friday. Carowinds told WCNC that it shut the ride down "after park personnel became aware of a crack at the top of a steel support pillar."
A Carowinds spokesperson previously told Insider that the "park's maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection, and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed."
Wagner told The Washington Post on Tuesday that he was relieved that the ride had been closed for repairs as he was concerned that the crack could cause the roller coaster to derail.
"It could have come unhinged and just went like a steamroller through the parking lot, plowing over pedestrians and cars and anything in its path," Wagner told the Post.
On June 25, a roller coaster in Stockholm partially derailed, injuring nine and killing one person. The Swedish government has since launched an investigation into the incident, per the Associated Press.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions says on its website that "amusement rides in the U.S. are extremely safe." The association added that the "chance of being seriously injured on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken."
A representative for Carowinds did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
Source: Insider
