Carowinds shut down its two biggest roller coasters Tuesday, Oct. 13, after a man was ejected from a coaster at a Six Flags sister park in Georgia and killed.
Fury 325 and Thunder Striker, the Fort Mill theme park's signature rides, are among nine roller coasters Six Flags temporarily closed across six parks. The company said the closures were made out of caution but has not announced when the rides will reopen.
The fatal incident happened Monday, Oct. 12, at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia. Cobb County police said a 42-year-old Atlanta man, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster, struck other riders and fell beneath the attraction. Four other people were injured, WBTV reported.
All nine rides Six Flags closed were built by the same Swiss manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard, which also made the Goliath coaster involved in the Georgia incident, according to Attractions Magazine. Six Flags has not publicly confirmed whether the shared manufacturer was the reason for the closures.
Fury 325 opened in 2015 and stands 325 feet tall, reaching speeds of 95 mph along 6,602 feet of track. Thunder Striker, originally named Intimidator when it opened in 2010 and renamed in 2024, stands 232 feet tall and hits 80 mph.
The closure comes just a month after Fury 325 was named the world's best steel roller coaster for the 10th straight year at the Golden Ticket Awards on Sept. 12 in Austin, Texas. Carowinds President Bridgette Bywater called the streak a sign of "enduring greatness" when the Charlotte Observer covered the award in September.
Fury 325 has faced unrelated shutdowns before. The coaster closed for months in 2023 after a visitor spotted a crack in a support beam. It closed again earlier in summer 2026 for about a week over a foundation issue. Neither closure involved injuries or public safety problems, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Carowinds sits off Interstate 77 at Exit 90, straddling the York County and Mecklenburg County line. The park generates roughly $2 million a year in tax revenue for York County and $6 million for South Carolina, according to the Post and Courier.
Cobb County's Major Crimes Unit and Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner are both investigating the Oct. 12 incident. Commissioner John F. King said inspectors and investigators are examining the equipment and working with park officials, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Six Flags has not said what inspections Fury 325 and Thunder Striker must pass before riders can board again.
