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After A Fatal Accident, State Lawmakers Pass A Zip Line Safety Bill

An image of people zip lining
Ferdilouw
/
Wikipedia Creative Commons

The General Assembly passed a measure this week that will examine whether the state needs to regulate aerial amusement devices. The measure comes a month after a fatal zip line accident at Glade Valley's Camp Cheerio in Alleghany County.

Neal O'Briant, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Labor, said his department does regulate carnival rides, like carousels and roller coasters, but the Amusement Device Safety Act exempts non-motorized aerial amusement devices, like zip lines, from oversight.

"This sets up a study so that we will look to see whether regulations are necessary for zip lines, and we make our recommendations," O'Briant said. "The General Assembly will take those recommendations and decide what to do with them."

House bill 39 calls for an inventory of zip lines in the state and local ordinances, along with a list of reported zip line accidents and an analysis of similar laws in other states. O'Briant said the Department of Labor has until February 1 to present its study to the legislature.

 

Rebecca Martinez produces podcasts at WUNC. She’s been at the station since 2013, when she produced Morning Edition and reported for newscasts and radio features. Rebecca also serves on WUNC’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) Committee.
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