Man Dies After Ejection From Goliath Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old information technology manager at Wesley International Academy in Atlanta, died on 12 October after being ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Cobb County police said he struck other patrons before landing beneath the ride, where officers found him unconscious and not breathing just before 4 p.m.

Witnesses told local stations that Kariem appeared to come loose from his seat, hit the train three times, and fell onto the roof of a nearby haunted-house attraction. He was riding with a family member; other relatives watched from the ground. Several other people were injured, though police have not released their number or condition. The ride, which reaches 70 mph and 200 feet, was stopped mid-circuit while remaining passengers were evacuated.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation temporarily closed nine similar hypercoasters at six parks across North America “out of an abundance of caution.” The Georgia park itself was already scheduled to be closed the next day. The manufacturer of the ride said it was investigating. Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which oversees amusement-park standards, is also reviewing the incident.

Kariem worked as the school’s technology teacher before becoming IT manager. Atlanta Public Schools described him as a cherished staff member whose presence would be missed by students and colleagues. He had been at the park with family to celebrate a niece’s birthday, according to a relative who spoke to ABC News.

This is at least the seventh death linked to the Georgia park since it opened in 1967, according to tallies kept by personal-injury firms that track amusement-park incidents. One earlier fatality on the same coaster in 2006 was attributed to a heart attack. Less than two weeks before the latest incident, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California announced the retirement of its X2 coaster after lawsuits alleging serious brain injury.

Police have not stated the mechanical or human cause. Preliminary information from witness and employee interviews indicates ejection from the seat. No official finding has been released on whether restraints failed, whether the rider stood or otherwise left the secured position, or whether a medical event preceded the fall. The park’s major-crimes unit continues the investigation.

The temporary closures affect multiple Goliath-style coasters that share similar track profiles and restraint systems. Parks in Canada also shut comparable rides. Six Flags said staff and local authorities responded immediately and that the company is cooperating fully. The Georgia park is on weekend operations and was expected to reopen later in the week, though the Goliath itself remains closed.

Amusement-park deaths remain rare relative to the volume of rides taken each year, yet each fatality prompts scrutiny of restraint design, operator procedures and maintenance records. Georgia law requires periodic inspections by licensed engineers and sets standards for restraint systems. Whether those standards were met, and whether any design or operational factor contributed, will be determined by the ongoing inquiries.

For the school community in Atlanta, the loss is personal. For the industry, the incident adds another data point to long-running debates over the adequacy of over-the-shoulder restraints on high-speed coasters and the speed with which operators shut similar rides after a single failure. No timeline has been given for the return of the closed attractions.