OSHA fines Carowinds parent company after worker injured on Windseeker ride

YORK COUNTY, S.C. (Andrew Dys/Rock Hill Herald) - The parent Company of Carowinds amusement park has been fined $42,000 by federal safety officials after a maintenance worker was injured in March, documents show.

The worker had an injury to an extremity on March 6 while working about 200 feet in the air on the Windseeker ride, emergency officials and Carowinds officials said at the time of the incident.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found six serious violations, according to a report on the incident from OSHA. Cedar Fair, the parent company of Carowinds, was fined $7,000 for each of the six violations, the report shows.

The specific violations were not listed in the report.

Lesia Kudelka, spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, said no other information about the investigation has been released.

Carowinds officials said the injured man was a third-party contract worker inspecting the ride. The identity of the man who was hurt has not been released.

Carowinds is contesting the OSHA decision, according to the OSHA report. No timetable has been released about the appeals process.

Carowinds officials declined comment on the specifics of the OSHA report. Carowinds issued a statement to The Herald about the incident that said safety is the top priority at the amusement park.

“At Carowinds, nothing is more important than safety, as it is at the core of everything we do,” said Lisa Stryker, Carowinds’ spokesperson. “We take these citations seriously and are responding accordingly to OSHA.”

The amusement park straddles the South Carolina and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina state line. The incident happened on the York County, South Carolina side of the park, officials said.

The park opened in 1973. Carowinds has grown into a 400-acre theme park with more than 60 rides, shows and attractions. It has 14 rollercoasters and a 26-acre water park.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Rock Hill Herald