Ga. Commissioner’s Office Investigating as Six Flags Closes 10 Rides After Fatality
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. has temporarily closed 10 rides at seven of its amusement parks, and the Georgia insurance commissioner’s office and local police are investigating after a man fell to his death from a roller coaster.
Cobb County Police identified the victim as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, according to Bloomberg News and WSB-TV. Witnesses said the man appeared to slip from his seat on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia Park in Austell, outside Atlanta, then fell backwards and injured other riders before he landed on a structure below, news sites reported.
The state Office of Insurance, led by Commissioner John King, oversees inspections on amusement park and carnival rides.
“Our investigative team is conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident and to ensure full compliance with all applicable policies and procedures,” Press Secretary Garrison Bennett told The Center Square news site in an email.
At a debate Tuesday, King, who is running for re-election, said his office had inspected the coaster ride.
“Our very professional inspectors have inspected every one of those before the park season even started, and they’re currently on the ground looking at every nook and cranny, conducting interviews and conducting a thorough review of what happened,” King said at the debate, according to WXIA TV news.
Six Flags officials said the company has temporarily closed the ride and nine others “out of an abundance of caution,” Bloomberg reported. The company said last month that it would permanently close the X2 coaster at its Magic Mountain Park in Valencia, California, after other alleged injuries, Bloomberg News reported.
The Dordick Law Corp. has said that three clients have sued Six Flags after allegedly suffering catastrophic brain injuries as a result of the X2 ride. The firm said it has retained more than 100 clients who have claimed injury.
Six Flags said the X2 ride had passed a multitude of safety tests.
The price of shares in Six Flags, which bills itself as the largest owner of regional theme parks in the US, fell 17% Tuesday to their lowest level since the COVID-19 epidemic caused parks to close worldwide, Bloomberg reported.
In Florida, SeaWorld Orlando closed its Mako roller coaster, which was built by the same company, Bolliger & Mabillard, that had constructed the Six Flags Over Georgia ride, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Top photo: The Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. (AP Photo/Emilie Megnien)