Man killed on a Six Flags roller coaster was thrown from the ride and hit other patrons, police say

AUSTELL, Ga. (AP) — An Atlanta man killed on a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was thrown from the ride and struck other patrons before landing below, police said Tuesday.

The man who died Monday was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police.

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Visitors at the theme park near Atlanta described watching the man being tossed from the coaster train and falling to his death, causing the theme park operator to temporarily close nine similar roller coasters nationwide.

Several other people were hurt but officials have not released any information about their injuries or conditions.

Authorities and Six Flags did not identify the ride associated with the man’s death, but local TV stations showed video of passengers being evacuated from the Goliath roller coaster.

The park already was scheduled to be closed Tuesday. One of Goliath’s trains remained on its track Tuesday, seemingly where it stopped as it was climbing the ride’s first hill.

Witnesses describe seeing a man fly out of the roller coaster

Logan Conner said he was on Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat.

“The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he told NBC. “We made direct eye contact with him.”

Britny Landry had been on the ride earlier Monday and was waiting in line to go again.

“We just look, and I just see somebody fly out,” she told KTVU-TV. She said she wasn’t sure at first what she saw. “Maybe somebody had a bag or something.”

Cobb County Police Department detectives are among those investigating.

Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Board of Commissioners chairwoman, said the man’s next of kin have been notified.

“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. “We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories.”

Six Flags closes roller coasters elsewhere

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six amusement parks “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a company spokesperson, who said staff members and local authorities responded immediately and that the park is cooperating with the investigation.

“We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company is providing support to guests and staff who were impacted.

Police and Six Flags did not immediately respond to messages seeking additional information Tuesday. A message seeking comment also was sent to Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees ride inspections.

Goliath, which opened in 2006, reaches a top speed of 70 mph (113 kph) with a height of 200 feet (61 meters), according to the park’s website. The park in suburban Atlanta opened in 1967.

Riders “navigate through razor-sharp turns and soar over colossal hills,” during the more than 3-minute ride, the website says.

Other recent roller coaster deaths and safety claims

The death is at least the seventh at the Georgia park since 1989, including two people who were in restricted areas and struck by roller coasters and two who died in auto accidents, according to the Doan Law Firm, which tallies amusement park accidents and represents victims.

In 2006, a man died after likely having a heart attack on the Goliath coaster, the law firm said.

The latest death comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California announced the retirement of its X2 roller coaster following lawsuits alleging riders suffered serious brain injuries. The park settled one wrongful-death lawsuit with the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022.

Last year, a 32-year-old man died from blunt impact injuries after riding a high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida. His death was ruled accidental.