Six Flags announces new safety measures for Goliath coaster following rider death
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was ejected from the ride on Oct. 12.
October 24, 2026, 3:01 PM
Six Flags administrators announced Saturday that they will institute new safety measures, including seatbelts, for the Goliath coaster at the company's Georgia park, nearly two weeks after a rider was killed when he fell off the ride.
Administrators said that the hyper coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia will remain closed as they continue to inspect it and investigate Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem's death, but they are committed to making changes to the ride.
The tracks of the Goliath roller coaster are seen in the sky above Six Flags over Georgia on Oct. 14, 2026, in Austell, Georgia.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Kariem, 42, an IT manager, teacher and robotics coach at an Atlanta school, was "ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction," the Cobb County Police Department said in the wake of the Oct. 12 incident.
He was at the Six Flags park with several family members to celebrate his niece's birthday and was sitting beside his niece when he was ejected from the roller coaster, a relative told ABC News.
In addition to installing the seat belts on Goliath, which had lap-bar restraints, the park said it has "engaged independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to comprehensively review current safety procedures across our entire portfolio of rides and attractions, across all of our parks."
The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, Georgia, is seen on Oct. 12, 2026.
WSB
"We are committed to carefully evaluating their findings and taking appropriate action to further strengthen our standards and culture of safety," Six Flags said in a statement.
The investigation by the park and police into the incident, where other people were also injured, is ongoing.
Six Flags Over Georgia is located in Austell, west of Atlanta. The Goliath roller coaster reaches an elevation of 200 feet and speeds up to 70 mph, according to the amusement park's website. The ride first opened in 2006.
After the incident, Six Flags indefinitely closed nine similar coasters including Nitro in Great Adventure in New Jersey, as a precaution.
The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, Georgia, is seen on Oct. 12, 2026.
WSB
On Saturday, Six Flags said eight of those coasters remained closed and will have the seat belts or other restraints installed.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.