Six Flags closes similar rides after fatal Georgia coaster incident

The company temporarily stopped nine similar roller coasters at six parks. Police are investigating the death on Goliath.

The incident occurred on October 12 at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta. Cobb County police said officers responded at about 3:58 p.m. local time. One person died and other visitors were injured.

In an October 13 update, police identified the deceased as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta resident. They said he was ejected from his seat, struck other patrons and fell below the attraction. That update followed initial reports in which the circumstances of the death were not yet confirmed.

Six Flags described the closure of similar attractions as a precaution. The decision does not establish a shared technical defect. Police and Georgia's insurance and fire-safety authorities are investigating.

Initial reporting included footage and witness accounts that news organisations could not independently verify. No conclusion has established a restraint failure or the visitor's conduct as the cause. The closures concern similar coasters elsewhere and do not mean the entire park network has stopped operating.

Goliath opened in 2006. Company specifications give its height as 200 feet (61 metres) and its speed as up to 70 mph (113 km/h). Those figures describe the attraction rather than establish the cause of the incident.