Man Dies After Falling From 200-Foot Goliath Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia; 10 Rides Shut Down Across the Country
ATLANTA — A 42-year-old Atlanta man fell to his death from the 200-foot-tall Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, in an accident that has triggered a coast-to-coast shutdown of similar rides and raised fresh questions about amusement park safety in America.
The Cobb County Police Department identified the victim as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta educator at the Wesley International Academy. Officers responded to the park in Austell, Georgia — about 11 miles west of downtown Atlanta — just before 4 p.m. local time Monday after reports of an accident on the Goliath ride.
According to preliminary police findings based on witness and employee statements, Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction. Witnesses described seeing an empty seat with a loose safety bar and called the scene chaotic and distressing. One parkgoer told local outlet 11Alive that Kariem appeared in their souvenir photo from the ride — and that he hit the car three separate times as he fell before landing on the roof of a haunted house attraction below. Several other riders were injured in the incident.
It remains unclear how Kariem came free from his seat. Investigators are examining mechanical failure and operator error as possible contributing factors, and detectives from the Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit are leading the investigation.
Kariem's death hit especially hard because of what he had already overcome. His sister, Andrea Clark, 35, told the New York Post on Tuesday that her brother had beaten cancer, going into remission in 2015 — and had survived a "crazy" car fire only about a month before the amusement park tragedy.
"He's an amazing person," Clark said through tears. "The coolest part about me was him."
She described her brother as devoted to his loved ones, working hard to provide for his family and helping raise his fiancée's daughter, whom he had known since she was three years old. Clark also condemned the circulation of disturbing images purporting to show her brother's final moments, urging people to stop sharing them.
In the wake of the death, Six Flags announced it was temporarily closing similar attractions across its parks. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks," a Six Flags spokesperson said.
The Goliath coaster is one of 10 coasters Six Flags has temporarily closed across seven of its parks, a company spokeswoman confirmed. All but one of the closed coasters was designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, the firm behind the Goliath. B&M said it was investigating the incident but declined further comment.
The ripple effects reached beyond Six Flags. SeaWorld Orlando temporarily closed its Mako roller coaster — built by the same manufacturer — following the deadly incident.
The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which oversees amusement park safety standards in the state, said it would review the incident to verify compliance with applicable policies and procedures. Notably, roller coasters in the United States are not subject to federal regulation — individual states are responsible for establishing safety protocols and maintenance standards.
The Goliath, which opened in 2006, features a 200-foot elevation, a 170-foot drop and speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. This is at least the seventh death associated with the Six Flags Over Georgia location, according to tracking data from a law firm specializing in amusement park incidents.
The incident comes weeks after another Six Flags park in California announced plans to retire the X2 roller coaster following more than 100 reports of alleged brain injuries from the ride.
Police say the investigation is ongoing, with mechanical failure and operator error both under examination. Six Flags has offered no timeline for when the closed rides will reopen.
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