Carowinds shuts down the Fury 325 roller coaster after routine safety inspection

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Carowinds has shut down the Fury 325 roller coaster following a routine safety inspection. A park spokesperson says crews identified an issue with a ride foundation on July 7.

Officials immediately took the coaster out of service and notified state regulators. Management emphasizes that guest safety was never compromised during the incident.

Repairs are currently underway, and the park plans to reopen the ride as soon as the work is complete.

In 2023, the Fury 325 was closed for more than a month after a park visitor spotted a crack in the coaster. While repairing that beam, inspectors found other cracks on the coaster that needed to be repaired.

The North Carolina Department of Labor’s safety report shows the beam crack that started the investigation was caused by unidirectional bending fatigue.

A Carowinds spokesperson tells us crews repaired the roller coaster in 2023 by replacing the cracked beam entirely.

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that crews repaired the cracks in the beam in 2023 by grinding down the metal and re-welding.