A day of thrills at Six Flags Over Georgia turned into a nightmare Monday afternoon when a 42-year-old man was thrown from a towering roller coaster, striking other passengers before falling to his death.
The victim, identified by Cobb County police as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta, died October 12 during an incident aboard the park’s popular Goliath roller coaster. Four other people were injured and taken to a hospital.
According to police, preliminary interviews with witnesses and park employees indicate Kariem was ejected from the moving ride, struck other passengers and landed beneath the attraction.
Officers responding shortly before 4 p.m. found Kariem unconscious and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses described terrifying moments as the tragedy unfolded, with some reporting that the man struck parts of the roller coaster during his fall.
One parkgoer told local reporters he watched the man suddenly rise out of his seat as the train traveled over a hill near the end of the ride.
The horrifying incident left other passengers stranded when the roller coaster was stopped near the top of its massive incline.
News helicopters captured emergency crews carefully evacuating riders from the elevated train, guiding them down a narrow emergency staircase in small groups.
One passenger visiting from Canada said nearly 20 people remained stranded approximately 200 feet above the ground for at least an hour as emergency crews responded below.
Goliath, one of the park’s signature attractions, stands 200 feet tall and reaches speeds of up to 70 mph. The steel roller coaster opened in 2006 and has remained a major attraction at the park outside Atlanta.
Following the tragedy, Six Flags temporarily shut down nine other roller coasters across six amusement parks in the United States and Canada as a precaution.
The affected attractions include Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California and Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.
Additional closures include Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in the Carolinas, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio.
Six Flags has not announced when those attractions will reopen.
In a statement, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation expressed condolences to Kariem’s family and said employees and local authorities responded immediately.
The company also confirmed it was providing support to guests and employees affected by the tragedy while cooperating with investigators.
Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire announced Tuesday that it had launched a comprehensive investigation into the deadly incident.
Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding Kariem’s ejection and whether the attraction complied with applicable safety requirements.
Authorities have not determined what caused him to be thrown from the ride, and no official findings regarding a mechanical failure or restraint malfunction have been released.
Cobb County police’s Major Crimes Unit is conducting a separate investigation.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens also expressed condolences, confirming that the city’s public safety director was coordinating with police and park security.
The accident occurred while Six Flags Over Georgia was operating on its limited offseason schedule. The park had opened Monday for the federal holiday and was not scheduled to reopen until Friday.
For now, the deadly incident has raised serious questions about how a passenger could be ejected from a major amusement park attraction, with investigators working to establish exactly what went wrong.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit at 770-499-3945.
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