Lawmakers Eye Stricter Rules For Zip Lines
4:47pm Jun 10, 2019
AP file photo/Silvia Izquierdo
A fatal accident at a High Country camp has prompted a legislative push to regulate zip lines.
A bill now before the North Carolina State Senate is named for 12-year-old Sanders Burney of Wilmington. She died in 2015 after a fall when her harness snapped during a zip line ride at a YMCA camp in Alleghany County.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Ted Davis, R-New Hanover. If approved, the law would provide greater oversight of what’s known as the “aerial adventure course” industry in North Carolina. It would add stricter guidelines on zip lines and high ropes courses.
Some camp owners say the law could increase expenses and paperwork and could lead to an operation closing altogether. Others questioned whether the law would improve safety.
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