Six Flags Over Georgia will reopen Friday, October 16, just four days after a 42-year-old Atlanta educator was fatally ejected from the park’s Goliath roller coaster, but the attraction at the center of the investigation will remain shut with no reopening date.
The park confirmed Wednesday that its regular weekend operations will resume as scheduled. Park President Richard Pretlow said Goliath remains temporarily closed while authorities investigate and that Six Flags does not yet know when the ride might reopen.
The fatal incident occurred Monday afternoon. Cobb County Police said officers responded at approximately 3:58 p.m. and found Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem beneath the attraction, unresponsive and not breathing. Preliminary interviews with witnesses and employees indicate Kariem was ejected from the coaster, struck other patrons and then fell beneath the ride.
Several other people were injured in the incident, though authorities have not publicly released a complete injury count or detailed their conditions. Police have also not determined publicly why Kariem came out of the ride. The Major Crimes Unit says the investigation remains active.
Kariem had gone to the park with family members to celebrate his niece’s birthday. ABC reported that he was seated beside his niece when the incident occurred. He worked for Atlanta Public Schools and had spent more than 12 years at Wesley International Academy as an IT manager, technology teacher and robotics coach. The school described him as a cherished member of its community.
Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, the state agency responsible for amusement-ride safety oversight, is conducting its own investigation. The agency said its review will examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and whether applicable safety policies and procedures were followed.
Six Flags also took the unusual step of temporarily closing nine other similar hypercoasters across six parks in the United States and Canada. The affected rides include Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island.
Most of those rides were built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, which also designed the Georgia Goliath. The company said it is actively investigating the fatal incident and would not speculate publicly until it has a clearer understanding of what occurred.
Goliath opened at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2006. The steel hypercoaster reaches approximately 200 feet in height and speeds of up to 70 mph. Hypercoasters are generally designed around large drops, speed and extended moments of airtime rather than inversions.
For now, investigators have established what happened to Kariem — that he was ejected — but not why. That unanswered question will determine whether the incident was caused by a mechanical failure, restraint issue, operational problem, another factor or some combination of circumstances. Until those findings are released, any specific explanation remains unconfirmed.
