Six Flags Goliath Tragedy: Father Killed, Nine Coasters Closed

A father of two is dead and four young riders are injured after a 42-year-old man was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday afternoon, in an accident that has forced the temporary closure of nine similar coasters across the United States and Canada while investigators search for answers.

The victim was identified by Cobb County police as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta. According to authorities, he was thrown from the moving attraction on Oct. 12, struck other passengers, and fell beneath the ride. Officers who responded at about 3:58 p.m. found him unresponsive and not breathing. He died at the scene, turning a family outing into one of the most serious amusement-park accidents in the United States in recent years.

Goliath, the B&M hypercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, in a file photo taken before the Oct. 12 incident.

The Incident on Monday Afternoon

Cobb County police say their preliminary account is built on interviews with witnesses and park employees. According to that account, Kariem came out of his seat during the ride, collided with other riders, and ended up under the coaster structure. Four other passengers — all juveniles — suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to hospitals, police said in an update on Oct. 14.

The Goliath attraction, a steel hypercoaster designed by the Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), was immediately shut down. The ride remains closed, and Six Flags Over Georgia said it has no anticipated reopening date for the coaster. The park itself is closed midweek as usual and will reopen Friday, Oct. 16, according to park president Richard Pretlow.

Two investigations are now running in parallel. The Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit is handling the criminal side, while Georgia's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire — the state agency that oversees amusement-ride inspections — is conducting its own comprehensive review to determine what happened and whether applicable safety requirements were followed.

Who Was Hassan Kariem

Kariem, 42, lived in Atlanta and had gone to the park with his family, according to reports. Reporting by TotalProSports, citing his LinkedIn profile, identified him as an IT manager at Wesley International Academy in Atlanta, where he had also worked as an IT specialist and technology teacher.

A family friend told Atlanta's WSB-TV that Kariem was a cancer survivor and had previously endured a serious bout of COVID-19 — details that have made his sudden death at the park, in front of loved ones, all the more heartbreaking for those who knew him. Six Flags issued a statement expressing condolences to his family, saying the company was "deeply saddened" and was providing support to guests and team members affected by the tragedy.

Witnesses Describe Warning Signs

New eyewitness accounts published on Oct. 14 have intensified scrutiny of the ride's operation in the minutes before the accident. Riders interviewed by PEOPLE described unusual clicking sounds connected to restraints and repeated checks by employees before the train was dispatched. The New York Post separately reported accounts from park visitors describing an earlier interruption in Goliath's operations that day, maintenance activity, and test runs.

None of these accounts establish what caused the fatal ejection. Authorities have not announced a cause, and investigators have not determined whether a restraint problem, a mechanical failure, or some other factor allowed the passenger to leave his seat. Bolliger & Mabillard confirmed that it is also examining the incident, but the manufacturer has not publicly identified any connection between the ride's restraint configuration and the death.

Rides Closed Across Two Countries

The most striking ripple effect of the Georgia tragedy has been its reach. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced the temporary closure of nine similar roller coasters across six other parks in the United States and Canada as a precaution while the investigation continues.

According to reporting by The Associated Press, the closures include Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois; the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California; and Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Also closed: Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio; Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario.

The company described the shutdowns as precautionary measures and said it is cooperating with state safety inspectors, law enforcement, and the ride manufacturer. It has not publicly set a timeline for reopening any of the affected attractions or detailed what inspections must be completed first.

The front gate of Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Georgia (file photo).

What This Means

The Goliath accident has thrown an uncomfortable spotlight on roller-coaster safety in the United States, where amusement rides are regulated primarily at the state level rather than by a single federal safety agency. Georgia's safety office conducts inspections of rides operating in the state, and its comprehensive review of the Oct. 12 incident will be watched closely by the industry.

For Six Flags, which markets itself around high-speed thrills, the temporary closure of nine of its most prominent coasters — including Fury 325, one of the tallest and fastest rides in the world — is a major operational blow. It is also a sign of how seriously the company is taking the risk that a single mechanical or operational failure could be repeated elsewhere.

Safety advocates are likely to press for answers on the questions investigators have so far left open: whether the ride's lap-bar restraints were properly locked, whether operators verified them before dispatch, and whether earlier maintenance that day was related to the accident. Until investigators answer those questions, the eyewitness accounts of unusual restraint sounds will hang over the case.

Goliath, which opened in 2006 and was designed by Bolliger & Mabillard, remains closed indefinitely (file photo).

What Happens Next

In the immediate term, Six Flags Over Georgia reopens to guests on Friday, Oct. 16, with Goliath sealed off and no reopening date set. The nine similar coasters in five states and Ontario remain closed indefinitely pending the outcome of inspections and the Georgia investigation.

The dual investigations will now focus on the coaster itself — its restraints, its mechanical condition, and the operations log from that day. Georgia's safety inspectors are expected to determine whether any safety requirements were violated, findings that could carry regulatory and civil consequences. The company has said it will limit public comment out of respect for the family's privacy while the investigations continue.

For the families who were on the ride that afternoon — and for Kariem's own family, who watched in horror as a routine outing turned fatal — the wait for a clear explanation of how a passenger could be thrown from one of the park's signature attractions is only beginning.