CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Efforts to learn what led to structural issues on a North Carolina rollercoaster continued Monday after a parkgoer alerted authorities to the scene.
Jeremy Wagner shot the now-viral video, spotting what appears to be a large crack on a support beam of the Fury 325 ride at Carowinds.
From the parking lot, Wagner recorded as riders sped along the tracks and the beam appeared to shift out of place right alongside them.
Shortly after, his family came out of the park.
"I mean, their jaws dropped -- my daughter and my niece were like, we just rode that. That was the last thing we rode," Wagner said. “I was like that, that's not supposed to do that. It's not attached.”
He says he notified security and local authorities telling them, "Y'all need to shut this ride down.”
On Monday, multiple inspectors with the N.C. Department of Labor were on site in search of answers to what caused the problem.
While Carowinds denied an interview with WCNC Charlotte, a spokesperson said they continue to do both daily and yearly inspections with North and South Carolina Departments of Labor assisting in part, since the park splits the two states.
Michael Hupalo has been a structural engineer for more than 30 years, assisting with oversight of rollercoasters around the country. He said he hasn't worked on the rides at Carowinds but believes current analysts are likely looking at documentation, in addition to physical inspections of the ride.
"Is the manual up to date? Are the documents reflecting inspection?" Hupalo asked. "How long ago, and is this an area that was even mentioned?”
According to Carowinds' website, Fury 325 is one of the tallest and fastest coasters in North America.
In 2017, WCNC Charlotte went behind the scenes for a look at the maintenance of Fury and other coasters.
At that time, a Carowinds inspector said they look carefully over the nuts and bolts of their rides, tossing out parts with too much wear or tear.
Now, the Fury remains closed as inspections continue.
Wagner, who's a season-pass holder, said he's trusting the process with plans to return soon.
"We've already been planning on going back," Wagner said. "I'm not that hesitant about it I would just like to think they have safety protocols in place, you know, and I would like to trust their protocols.”
It's unclear when the ride could reopen.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.