Six Flags Closes Nine Rides After Fatal Georgia Coaster Fall

Following a fatal roller coaster accident in Georgia, Six Flags temporarily closed nine rides across six parks as a precaution. The decision came after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta died Monday when he fell from the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, where several other people were injured, according to police.

Goliath is a hypercoaster that reaches speeds of 70 miles per hour and heights of 200 feet. Witnesses said the man fell out of his seat during the ride, prompting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

A Six Flags spokesperson said the company suspended similar attractions across its parks while prioritizing guest and employee safety.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks," a Six Flags spokesperson said Monday. "The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities."

The company did not identify all nine temporarily closed rides. CBS News Philadelphia reported that Nitro, a roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, was among the attractions affected. Six Flags Over Georgia was closed Tuesday as part of its scheduled non-operating day.

Six Flags also expressed sorrow over the fatal incident and said it was cooperating fully with authorities. Investigators in Georgia are working to establish what happened during Monday's ride.

Nick Mendenhall, who rode Goliath with his teenage son just minutes before the accident, described witnessing the incident as a surreal experience.

"Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion," said Nick Mendenhall. "It was just surreal seeing it happen."

Another witness described seeing the man rise out of his seat during the ride. The accounts are among the information that investigators may examine as they reconstruct the incident.

Brian Avery, a legal and risk professor at the University of Florida, said investigators typically review multiple forms of evidence to determine the cause of an amusement ride accident.

"All of these are clues to kind of build to the root cause and trying to come to an actual understanding as to why this would have occurred," he said.

Avery said roller coaster incidents are rare but called for greater federal oversight of amusement ride safety standards. He said consistent requirements could help establish a common framework for how parks operate.

"We need uniformity in our standards and we need an understanding of how each park is operating so that they're operating according to the same book, if you would," he said.

The Georgia accident occurred about two weeks after Six Flags permanently shut down its X2 roller coaster at Magic Mountain in Southern California. The closure followed multiple lawsuits alleging that the ride caused serious brain injuries. Six Flags declined to comment on the pending litigation.

The investigation into the death at Six Flags Over Georgia remains ongoing, and authorities have not announced a final determination of the cause.