Six Flags Over Georgia death is at least seventh at park, firm says

Witnesses describe empty seat, loose safety bar on returned Goliath ride

The Cobb County Police Department said the incident at the Six Flags Over Georgia park happened just before 16:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Monday, the BBC reported. “Officers working at the park responded to an incident involving a male guest on a roller coaster,” the department said in a statement on Tuesday. “Preliminary information gathered through witness and employee interview indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction.”

The death is at least the seventh at Six Flags Over Georgia, according to the Doan Law Firm, the BBC reported. The firm’s tally includes two people who had medical emergencies, two who were in restricted areas when they were struck by a ride, two who died in car-related accidents and one who died months after using the park’s pool.

The ride involved has not been officially specified. Aerial footage from news helicopters showed the Goliath roller coaster stopped midway, and multiple witnesses have identified the ride as the one involved in the incident, the BBC reported. The Goliath opened in 2006 with an elevation of 200 feet (60 m), a 170-foot plunge, a 540-degree spiral and a top speed of 70 mph (112 km/h), according to the park website. On its “thrill scale,” Six Flags ranks the Goliath at level four out of five.

Four witnesses described to the BBC and its US partners what they saw as the roller coaster returned to the station. Nick Mendenhall told the Associated Press he watched the man come out of his seat and fall into another cart on the ride before falling to the ground. “It was just super, super bizarre, traumatic. I mean, it took me a couple of seconds, I feel like, to process what was going on,” Mendenhall said. “I cant believe that I just saw that.” He said his mind instantly went to the trauma of those impacted by what he witnessed, including the man’s loved ones and everyone who was on the ride with him.

Connor Thompson told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that he was in line for the ride when the crowd began “yelling, clearly distressed.” “Everyone was kind of confused at first, and then there was someone who was yelling, ‘Call 911! Someone fell out!’” Thompson said. “At first it was almost like I didn’t believe it because I thought that was like impossible for something like that to happen.” He said he saw the cart come into the hub where others were waiting in line and could see the restraint was unlatched.

CiCi Nelson told CNN she was also in line to ride the Goliath when the roller coaster returned and she saw an empty seat with a loose safety bar and a female covered in blood. Nelson described a scene of hysteria, adding that one man was “freaking out, saying someone fell off.” Brittany Landry, who believed she saw Kariem ejected from the rollercoaster, told Fox News she was in tears. “I broke because we were just on there,” she said.

One witness told NBC affiliate WXIA that the incident was captured in souvenir photos that were automatically taken of the rollercoaster while it was in motion, the BBC reported. The BBC has not been able to verify that statement.

Kariem lived in the nearby city of Atlanta and worked for Wesley International Academy, a public charter school, for more than 12 years as an IT manager, technology teacher and robotics coach, the BBC reported. The school said in a statement posted to its Facebook account: “Mr. Kariem was deeply loved and respected, and his absence will be felt throughout our school community.” The school added: “His love for Wesley, dedication to our students, and commitment to our school community were evident in everything he did.” Outside of work, Kariem enjoyed creating products with his laser engraver and 3D printers, as well as cooking, watching anime and spending time with family and friends, according to his profile on the school’s website, the BBC reported.

His family told WXIA that he was a father and a passionate educator who had survived two bouts of cancer — the last stint in 2018 — and had been in a car crash with his 10-year-old daughter three weeks before his death, the BBC reported.

Six Flags, the largest amusement park operator in North America, has temporarily closed nine rides across the United States and Canada as a precaution. The company said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and that “our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones,” the BBC reported. Six Flags operates 20 amusement parks, 14 water parks and nine resorts across Canada, the US and Mexico.

In the last 15 years, two deaths caused by people falling from the company’s roller coasters led to lawsuits and settlements, the BBC reported. One in 2011 involved an Iraq War veteran who was ejected from a ride in New York and hit his head on the car. In the other, in 2013, a woman slipped from her restraints on a roller coaster in Texas and fell 75 feet.

In September, the Six Flags Magic Mountain park in California announced it was closing its X2 roller coaster after more than 100 people alleged they had suffered brain injuries from the ride.

The office of Georgia’s insurance and fire safety commissioner, which enforces amusement park safety rules in the state, is also conducting a review, the BBC reported. Officials have not held a news conference on the incident.