North Carolina Looks to Regulate Zip Lines, Carnival Rides

North Carolina lawmakers want the state Department of Labor to study zip line safety following a fatal accident at a YMCA camp in the mountains last month.

The bill was amended recently after a 12-year-old girl died when she fell off a zip line at Camp Cheerio in Alleghany County. The bill directs the department to review 13 zip-line issues and make recommendations to legislators by February.

More than two dozen commercial zip lines operate in North Carolina. No state figures are kept on how many youth camps have the rides.

The General Assembly also gave its final approval July 14 to the measure that raises fivefold the maximum penalty for carnival ride accidents. The bill heads to Gov. Pat McCrory’s desk following a House vote accepting Senate changes.