June 16, 2020 - 9:54 AM
GATLINBURG, Tenn. - A visitor attempting to slide across a suspension bridge that hangs 140 feet (43 metres) over a valley in Tennessee cracked a glass panel in the structure’s middle section, according to park officials.
The pedestrian bridge located near the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg was temporarily closed for repairs Monday after the action left “noticeable cracks” in the top layer of a 5-foot-wide (1.5-meter-wide) piece of glass, officials with SkyLift Park said in a statement.
The guest was attempting a “baseball-style slide” when they chipped the panel with a metal object on their clothes, despite posted rules that ask visitors not to run, jump or bounce on the attraction as a safety precaution, representatives said.
Officials added that the glass has multiple layers of protection and neither the structural integrity of the bridge, or any guests were ever in danger.
The attraction spans nearly 700-feet (213-meters) across the valley in eastern Tennessee, and is the longest of its kind in North America, according to the park’s website.
The attraction was set to reopen Tuesday.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020