A man who observed an alarmingly large crack in the support beam of a roller coaster at a North Carolina amusement park is speaking out after he alerted several staff members about the safety issue before anything was done.
Jeremy Wagner took video of the concerning crack he spotted on a ride at Carowinds amusement park - after his daughter and niece had been on the ride multiple times that day - and presented the issue to multiple employees. After no action was taken, he spoke with a person from guest services who asked him to send the video.
Wagner told multiple outlets the employee at guest services then told him she would send the video to someone and then walked off.
He shared with CNN:
“And they just turned around and walked off, you know, nonchalant.”
Wagner revealed that even as he was leaving the park for the day, the ride was still running, so he decided to contact Charlotte's fire department about his concern.
Wagner told The Washington Post the fire department called him back to let him know the ride had finally been shut down.
You can watch Wagner's interview - and footage of the roller coaster - with NewsNation below.
Man caught coaster crack on camera: 'There was no urgency' to close the ride | Morning in Americayoutu.be
Viewers of the interview hailed Wagner a hero and thanked him for his determination to have the concern addressed.
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
Others shared their outrage that nothing was initially done by park employees as soon as they learned of the issue.
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
NewsNation/YouTube
A spokesperson for Carowinds told HuffPost:
“The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed."
“Safety is our top priority and we appreciate the patience and understanding of our valued guests during this process.”
Regardless of this alarming incident, though, Wagner still has faith in the park and told NewsNation he will continue to visit.