Police and Georgia state regulators are investigating the fatal fall of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem from Six Flags Over Georgia’s Goliath coaster. By Thursday, 12 roller coasters had been temporarily halted, including rides at Sea World Orlando and La Ronde in Montreal. Ten closed rides share a manufacturer and a similar restraint system with the Georgia coaster, which has no backup restraints. Witness accounts have raised concerns about restraints, but investigators have not reported a cause or assigned responsibility. The closures and safety reviews affect riders and park operators, while reopening dates, review timelines, and any changes to restraint rules remain unreported.
TLDR: A fatal fall at Six Flags Over Georgia has led police and state regulators to investigate and parks to halt 12 coasters. Reviews are underway, but no cause, new restraint rule, or reopening timeline has been confirmed.
A fatal fall from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia has prompted police and state regulators to investigate, while amusement parks have taken more rides out of service. By Thursday, 12 roller coasters had been halted. The Georgia park is set to reopen, but Goliath itself is not expected to run as the probe continues.
The stated rationale is to determine what caused Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta school employee, to fall from his seat on Monday. La Ronde in Montreal described its own closure as part of a thorough safety review with the ride’s manufacturer. The investigation and temporary shutdowns are concrete steps toward establishing what happened and whether related rides need further review.
Sea World Orlando in Florida and La Ronde confirmed on Thursday that they had temporarily closed rides. Ten of the halted coasters share a manufacturer and a similar restraint system with the Georgia Goliath. Six Flags closed eight additional coasters built by that manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard, as well as Goliath. The company declined Thursday to answer questions about the shutdowns.
The closures extend beyond Georgia and across national borders. The two rides identified by Sea World Orlando and La Ronde were also built by Bolliger & Mabillard. Neither park said why those specific rides were taken offline. La Ronde said its Goliath would remain closed during its safety review in collaboration with the manufacturer. The record does not give a reopening date for those rides or the other temporarily halted coasters.
The central issue is the restraint system. Online images of 10 closed coasters show clamshell restraints: padded bars that sit in front of each rider and lock over the lap and upper legs. Images do not establish whether any of those 10 rides also use seat belts or other backup restraints. The Georgia Goliath has no such backup restraint, according to the account.
Witness accounts have raised concerns, but they do not establish the cause of the fatal fall. Erica Billups said her son tried to lock a seat restraint about an hour before Kariem’s ride, then moved after it repeatedly came unlocked. She said the coaster left with the seat empty and its harness raised, and that staff did not tell her children there was a problem. She confirmed her account in a text message to The Associated Press.
Summer Bates, who witnessed the fall, said her older children had tried to push their restraints down tighter while riding. She later understood their concern because, she said, the restraints did not feel secure. Six Flags did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on restraint issues. The company’s response remains an important missing part of the public account, not proof of what happened.
Kariem was thrown from his seat, struck other patrons, and landed below the ride. Witnesses described seeing him ejected. A separate account from a rider watching the cars overhead described Kariem appearing to hover before falling back into the coaster and then being ejected on its final turn. Police and a state regulatory agency are investigating the circumstances. The excerpt does not report a finding about the restraint or assign responsibility.
Goliath opened in 2006 and is one of Six Flags Over Georgia’s headline attractions. The park, in Austell about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta, has about a dozen roller coasters. Goliath’s first hill rises 200 feet, and the ride reaches 70 miles per hour. Its speed, forces, and track transitions are among the factors manufacturers consider when choosing restraints, according to Brian D. Avery, a University of Florida professor and amusement-ride safety expert.
Avery supports backup restraints, while noting that the industry has long debated whether they would increase wait times. That tradeoff is part of the safety discussion: additional restraints could mean longer lines, while relying on a single restraint leaves less redundancy. The available account does not say regulators have ordered a new restraint standard or that any park must install backup systems. No fee, new paperwork requirement, enforcement penalty, or formal compliance deadline is reported.
The practical impact is already visible. Riders at the affected parks have fewer available coasters, and operators face temporary closures and safety reviews. The 12 halted rides include coasters in Florida and Montreal as well as rides connected to the Georgia investigation. Which rides will reopen, what checks are required, and whether reviews will change operating practices remain part of the plan, not confirmed outcomes.
Police and Georgia state regulators continue to examine the fatal fall, while parks and the manufacturer have not provided a complete public account of all shutdown decisions. La Ronde has identified its review with the manufacturer as a next step; no timeline for completion has been given. Further findings and any operating decisions will determine what happens next, and those reviews are necessary steps for oversight and compliance. The safety experts have this handled.
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