A fatal accident at Six Flags Over Georgia has prompted amusement parks to pull 11 roller coasters out of service, as police and state regulators investigate how a 42-year-old Atlanta school employee fell to his death from the Goliath coaster.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was ejected from the Goliath ride at the Mableton park, located about 24 kilometres northwest of Atlanta. Witnesses described seeing the 42-year-old patron thrown from his seat, striking other patrons before landing below the structure. Goliath opened in 2006, towers 61 metres high, and reaches top speeds of 112 kilometres per hour without going upside down. The Georgia park is scheduled to reopen on Saturday, though the Goliath ride will remain offline.
‼️ MAN DIES AFTER FALLING FROM GOLIATH ROLLER COASTER AT SIX FLAGS; SEVERAL OTHERS INJUREDA man has died and several others were injured following a horrifying incident aboard the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.According to the Cobb… pic.twitter.com/4qnhZaMIlf
Following the tragedy, parks in the United States and Canada initiated precautionary shutdowns. SeaWorld Orlando confirmed it closed its Mako roller coaster indefinitely, while La Ronde in Montreal temporarily shut down its own Goliath coaster to conduct a thorough review with the ride’s manufacturer. CTV News reported that Canada’s Wonderland also closed its Behemoth and Leviathan roller coasters out of an abundance of caution. Nine of the halted roller coasters share the manufacturer and restraint design used on the Georgia ride.
Online photographs of the affected rides show them equipped with clamshell restraints, which feature a vertical bar between the rider’s knees that locks a padded lap bar into place. Bolliger & Mabillard, the Swiss company that manufactured the Georgia Goliath and eight of the other closed coasters, declined to answer questions regarding the mechanical systems.
Erica Billups stated that her children rode Goliath roughly an hour before the fatal incident and found that one seat’s restraint repeatedly unlocked itself. Summer Bates, another park visitor who witnessed the fall, noted that her children had instinctively pushed down on their restraints because the equipment felt insecure.
| Roller Coaster | Park Location | Manufacturer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goliath | Six Flags Over Georgia (Atlanta) | Bolliger & Mabillard | Closed for Investigation |
| Mako | SeaWorld Orlando (Florida) | Bolliger & Mabillard | Temporarily Closed |
| Goliath | La Ronde (Montreal) | Bolliger & Mabillard | Temporarily Closed |
| Behemoth | Canada’s Wonderland (Ontario) | Bolliger & Mabillard | Temporarily Closed |
| Leviathan | Canada’s Wonderland (Ontario) | Bolliger & Mabillard | Temporarily Closed |
A class-action lawsuit filed by investors in 2025 alleges that Six Flags deferred basic maintenance and reduced operational staffing ahead of its merger with Cedar Fair. Six Flags permanently closed the X2 ride last month.
State regulators and the major crimes unit continue to examine the exact sequence of events that led to Tuesday’s fatality. Six Flags has not yet provided comment regarding potential issues with the restraint mechanism, and officials have not announced a definitive reopening timeline for the halted attractions.
