No Carowinds fines after crack found in ride: DOL

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Carowinds will not be fined as the operator shut the ride down once its certificate of operation was suspended, according to North Carolina Department of Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson.

Fury 325 remains shut down as the amusement park awaits a new support column to be delivered next week. The N.C. Department of Labor has been on the ground for days after seeing the video.

“I would say scared and relieved were my initial reactions,” said Dobson.

Dobson says he has had an inspector at the park most of the week. Initially, the state agreed with the assessment from Carowinds that the crack started along the weld line of the support column.

“There’s still an investigation going on,” he added. “But best we can tell there was a crack in the weld that over perhaps a week or two-week period become severed.”

In a statement, Carowinds says workers inspect the roller coaster daily, but once repaired, they will use a drone to check the ride’s hard-to-reach areas.

Currently, an amusement ride in N.C. is inspected annually.

“It’s too early to tell whether we will alter or change or ask for new legislation going forward,” said Dobson. “I don’t hesitate to say we’re always looking to see if we can improve.”

There’s plenty of work and inspections to be done before thrill seekers ride again.

“Until we are 100% comfortable with issuing a new certificate of operation, we will not do so,” added Dobson.

A Carowinds spokesperson said the new support column will be installed next week. Then they will run the ride 500 times before a third party, and the state inspects it for safety.