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Six Flags to Add Seat Belts After Georgia Roller Coaster Fatality
· Confirmed
In Short: Six Flags Over Georgia will install seat belts on the Goliath coaster following a rider's death.
Six Flags administrators announced Saturday that they will implement new safety measures, including seatbelts, for the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, nearly two weeks after a rider was killed when he fell off the ride.
The hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia will remain closed as administrators continue to inspect it and investigate Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem's death, but they are committed to making changes to the ride.
Six Flags Over Georgia is located in Austell, west of Atlanta, and the park has temporarily closed multiple roller coasters at amusement parks across North America as a precaution.
Georgia authorities have not officially announced the cause of the fatal accident, but ride inspection experts expect the investigation to examine if maintenance issues, design flaws, or human error led to the incident.
The Goliath roller coaster, which opened in 2006, can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour on towering tracks that rise 200 feet.
Six Flags CEO John Reilly said seat belts would be added to the Goliath and other coasters with similar restraint systems.
For Kariem to have been ejected from the ride, ride operators and roller coaster engineers suggested either a mechanical malfunction, operator error, or a combination of both could have played a part.
The incident comes less than a month after Six Flags closed the famous X2 roller coaster at Magic Mountain in California after lawsuits revealed more than 100 people had suffered brain injuries while riding.
Six Flags Over Georgia is a significant part of the tourism landscape, drawing visitors from across the county, state, and Southeast.
The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and Six Flags is cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation.
Out of respect for the family's privacy, Six Flags will not be sharing additional details at this time.
The safety of guests and team members remains one of Six Flags' highest priorities.
What this adds
Six Flags Over Georgia has faced accusations of failing to maintain its parks amid hundreds of reports of injuries and dangerous malfunctions on its aging thrill rides.
Background
Six Flags will install seat belts on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia after a rider's death.
What's confirmed
- Georgia authorities have not announced an official cause of the fatal accident.
- 23, including plans to add seat belts to Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia and other roller coasters with similar restraints.
- Six Flags said Friday that it will add seat belts to a roller coaster from which a man was ejected and fell to his death earlier this month.
- In the years leading up to this week’s fatal accident at its Georgia theme park, Six Flags has been accused of failing to maintain its parks amid hundreds of reports of injuries and dangerous malfunctions on its aging thrill rides.
- ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — One person was killed and several others were injured in an incident involving a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, according to the Cobb County Police Department.
- Officials did not confirm how the person died, nor how the others were injured or their medical conditions after the incident at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta.
- Six Flags Over Georgia said it was "deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends, and loved ones."
- Hallie Golden, Associated Press Hallie Golden, Associated Press Police are investigating after a man fell to his death from a roller coaster at a Six Flags near Atlanta, watched by other visitors to the amusement park as he was catapulted from the ride.
- Police say Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and found beneath the ride. (Credit: WAGA) Six Flags has temporarily closed multiple roller coasters at amusement parks across North America as a precaution following a fatal incident at Six Flags Over Georgia that left one person dead and others injured.
- “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 in a statement.
What's still developing
- However, Troy Richardson, an engineer with experience building and inspecting roller coasters, said the March inspection's note about bushings could be significant.
- Considered a hypercoaster – a roller coaster that’s at least 200 feet tall – the ride was developed by Bolliger & Mabillard, and uses restraints that sit across riders’ laps, not over-the-shoulder restraints.
- “We saw mechanics and paramedics running down there; we realized something bad had happened,” said Ben Edwards, who was among nearly 20 people trapped on Goliath’s two-hundred-foot incline when the coaster suddenly stopped shortly before 4 p.m., stranding many for at least an hour high above the ground.
- King, Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, who is leading the investigation, said investigators will not "cut corners, rush to conclusions, or leave questions unanswered without making every effort to resolve them."