Man killed on a Six Flags roller coaster was thrown from the ride and hit other patrons, police say
MABLETON, GA (AP) — A 42-year-old man killed while riding a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride, police said Tuesday.
Visitors at the theme park near Atlanta described watching him fall out of the coaster to his death Monday, causing the theme park operator to temporarily close nine similar roller coasters nationwide.
Investigators say they spoke with park visitors and employees who saw what happened. No one has released information about how he ended up coming out of his seat.
The man who died was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police. Officials have not released any other information about those who were injured when they were struck by the man.
Kariem worked as the information technology manager at a public charter school in Atlanta and before that was the school’s technology teacher, according to an online resume.
The park in Mableton, about 14 miles (22 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta, already was scheduled to be closed Tuesday. One of Goliath’s other trains could be seen on the ride’s first hill Tuesday, seemingly where it stopped after the man fall from another train.
Witnesses describe seeing a man fly out of the roller coaster
Logan Conner said he was on Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat.
“The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he told NBC. “We made direct eye contact with him.”
Britny Landry had been on the ride earlier Monday and was waiting in line to go again.
“We just look, and I just see somebody fly out,” she told WAGA-TV. She said she wasn’t sure at first what she saw. “Maybe somebody had a bag or something.”
Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Board of Commissioners chairwoman, said the man’s next of kin have been notified.
“I cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one,” Cupid said. “We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories.”
Six Flags closes roller coasters elsewhere
Six Flags said in a statement that it has temporarily shut down nine similar roller coasters at six of its theme parks in the U.S. and Canada. Those parks were already scheduled for seasonal midweek closures on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The affected rides include a second coaster named Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the coasters Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in North Carolina and the rides Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario, Canada.
Six Flags Entertainment did not immediately respond Tuesday to emailed questions seeking more information on why those specific rides were shut down and what would be done before they reopen.
Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees ride inspections, is “conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review,” said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson.
Bolliger & Mabillard, the Swiss company that manufactured the coaster and many others worldwide, said it is “actively investigating the incident and will not comment further until we have a better understanding of what happened.”
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the family and those affected.”
Goliath, which opened in 2006, reaches a top speed of 70 mph (113 kph) with a height of 200 feet (61 meters), according to the park’s website. The park in suburban Atlanta opened in 1967.
Riders “navigate through razor-sharp turns and soar over colossal hills,” during the more than 3-minute ride, the website says.
Other recent roller coaster deaths and safety claims
The death is at least the seventh at the Georgia park since 1989, including two people who were in restricted areas and struck by roller coasters and two who died in auto accidents, according to the Doan Law Firm, which tallies amusement park accidents and represents victims.
In 2006, a man died after likely having a heart attack on the Goliath coaster, the law firm said.
The latest death comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California announced the retirement of its X2 roller coaster following lawsuits alleging riders suffered serious brain injuries. The park settled one wrongful-death lawsuit with the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022.
Last year, a 32-year-old man died from blunt impact injuries after riding a high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida. His death was ruled accidental.
