Man killed on a Six Flags roller coaster was thrown from the ride and hit other patrons, police say
AUSTELL, 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 being tossed from the coaster train and falling 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.
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 struck and injured.
The park already was scheduled to be closed Tuesday. One of Goliath’s other trains remained on its track Tuesday, seemingly where it stopped after the incident as it was climbing the ride’s first hill.
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 KTVU-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 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.
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.
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.
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Brumback reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.
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