Man Dies After Falling from Goliath Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia

A 42-year-old man died on Monday after he was thrown from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Cobb County police identified him as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem. Witnesses said he came out of his seat, struck the train three times, and landed on the roof of a haunted-house attraction below the track.

The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on 12 October. Kariem was riding with his son. His wife and daughter watched from the ground. Several other guests were injured when he struck them during the fall. Police have not released details of those injuries.

Six Flags closed nine similar roller coasters at six parks in the United States and Canada out of an abundance of caution. The company said staff and local authorities responded immediately and that the park is cooperating with the investigation. The Georgia park itself was already scheduled to be closed on Tuesday. One of Goliath's trains remained on the lift hill where it stopped.

Goliath is a Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster that opened in 2006. It reaches 70 mph and stands 200 feet tall. The ride lasts about 210 seconds. Detectives from the Cobb County Police Major Crimes Unit are examining the restraint system and the sequence of events. No cause has been stated.

Kariem worked as the information-technology manager at a public charter school in Atlanta. He had previously taught technology at the same school. An online resume listed those roles. Police have not commented on whether any medical factor contributed to the fall.

Eyewitness Logan Conner was on the same train with his fiancée. He told local stations he saw the man come out of his seat. Other guests described the evacuation that followed. Video from the scene shows riders walking down the stairs after the train stopped on the lift.

This is at least the seventh death associated with Six Flags Over Georgia since the park opened in 1967. One earlier fatality on Goliath itself, in 2006, was attributed to a likely heart attack. The current case is the first in which a rider was ejected from a moving train at the park.

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation issued a statement expressing sadness and declining to share further details out of respect for the family. The company has not said when the closed coasters will reopen. Similar rides at other parks remain shut while the investigation continues.

Amusement-park safety rules in Georgia require operators to report serious incidents to state inspectors. The Georgia Department of Labor or the relevant ride-safety office will review maintenance logs, training records, and the physical condition of the restraints. Those documents are not yet public.

The haunted-house roof where Kariem landed sits directly beneath a section of the Goliath track. The drop from that point is substantial. Witnesses said the impact was audible across the midway. Park staff cleared the area within minutes and began the evacuation of the remaining riders.

Kariem's family has not spoken publicly. The school where he worked has not issued a statement. Local news outlets have published his name and age after confirmation from the Cobb County Police Department. No charges have been filed.

The temporary closure of nine coasters affects parks from Georgia to California and into Canada. Montreal's Goliath was among those shut. Six Flags said the decision was precautionary and not an admission that the same mechanical issue exists elsewhere. Each ride will be inspected before it returns to service.

Roller-coaster restraints are designed to hold riders through inversions and high-speed turns. Failures that allow ejection are rare. When they occur, investigations focus on whether the restraint was properly latched, whether the rider met height and weight requirements, and whether any component had worn beyond tolerance. None of those questions has been answered in this case.

The park reopens on its normal schedule once the investigation allows. Goliath itself will remain closed until inspectors and the manufacturer clear it. The other eight coasters face the same requirement. Guests who held tickets for the affected rides will receive standard rain-check or exchange options under park policy.