CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Carowinds roller coaster shut down due to a large crack could soon see some repairs.
The park says a new support column for the Fury 325 is expected to be delivered next week.
It comes after someone visiting alerted authorities to the issue, recording a video of passengers speeding by on the ride, as one of the support beams shifts out of place alongside them.
As the investigation into what caused the issue continues, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson tells AP news, the crack may have started at least six to 10 days before the video was taken.
It's raised the question about roller coaster safety and inspections elsewhere around the country.
Michael Hupalo of MAH Consulting, LLC is a structural engineer. He says he has experience inspecting amusement park rides for more than 30 years.
While he hasn't worked on rides at Carowinds, he said coasters typically go through an extensive safety process at amusement parks around the country, including nondestructive testing to identify cracks and defects.
“It's more than just walking around looking at it. There are things you have to touch, things you have to climb on," Hupalo said. "It starts with the manufacturers mandated daily inspection.”
In the case of Carowinds, the park said both daily and yearly checks are performed, taking WCNC Charlotte behind the scenes in 2017 for a look at the process.
At that time, an inspector with Carowinds said they look carefully over rides down to the nuts and bolts and toss out parts with too much wear or tear.
As the search continues for answers in what led to the crack, Hupalo said age of the ride could play a factor, or it could be a new issue altogether and new procedures and tests will need to be created.
Despite this, Hupalo and other industry experts agree that rides are generally safe.
The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions estimates the chance of serious injury on a fixed-site ride at a U.S. park is one in 15.5 million rides taken.
“Occurrences like this are extremely rare," Hupalo said. "If everything looks right, it probably is. But it is machinery, and it needs to be properly maintained.”
It's unclear when the Fury 325 could reopen, as inspections and repairs continue.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.