Local
Carowinds grounds Fury 325 and Thunder Striker during Georgia coaster investigation
Carowinds has temporarily closed Fury 325 and Thunder Striker for safety testing after a fatal incident on a coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. North Carolina officials say they are monitoring the investigation and communicating with the parks and Georgia authorities.
Carowinds has closed Fury 325 and Thunder Striker for additional safety testing following a fatal roller coaster incident Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia, the Charlotte-area park said Tuesday.
The incident occurred on Goliath, where 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died. Witnesses told local authorities that the ride’s restraints appeared to unlatch shortly before he fell. The cause of the incident has not been determined.
The closures are part of a precautionary shutdown affecting rides at six amusement parks around the country. The two Carowinds coasters and Goliath were all built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. It was not clear Tuesday whether the manufacturer recommended the closures or would take part in inspections.
The North Carolina Department of Labor said it understood Carowinds had grounded the rides for additional testing. The department said it would stay in contact with Carowinds and Georgia authorities as it works to understand what happened.
The shutdown comes after earlier safety-related inspections of Fury 325. State inspectors grounded the coaster this year after Carowinds reported a problem with its foundation. In 2023, the ride was closed after a support pillar was found cracked. No connection between those issues and the Georgia incident has been established.
Carowinds was scheduled to open Thursday, but whether the two rides would be operating then had not been confirmed. The park has not provided a reopening timeline in the information available Tuesday.