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Six Flags plans restraint changes on Goliath after fatal ejection
Six Flags says it will add seat belts to Goliath and other coasters with similar restraints after a 42-year-old man was killed at the Georgia park. State and Cobb County authorities are investigating how he was ejected.
Six Flags plans to add seat belts to Goliath and other coasters with similar restraints after a rider died in a fall from the roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, the company’s president and CEO said.
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was killed Oct. 12 after being ejected from Goliath, according to Cobb County police. Police said he struck and injured several other park visitors before falling; those injured were minors.
“We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint,” Six Flags CEO John Reilly wrote.
Goliath is one of nine B&M hypercoasters in the Six Flags chain. Six already have seat belts in addition to clamshell-style lap bars; Goliath and two others do not. The nine rides remained closed as of Oct. 24, while similar coaster models at other parks were still operating.
The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner and Cobb County police are conducting a joint investigation into what caused Kariem to be ejected. Commissioner John King called it one of the most serious investigations his office had undertaken in quite some time and said investigators would examine the incident thoroughly.
The planned changes come amid wider scrutiny of ride safety at Six Flags. A CNN investigation this summer reported that the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain had been linked to more than a dozen serious brain injuries, hospitalizations and deaths.