Six Flags has temporarily shut down nine rollercoasters across North America after a person was killed on the Goliath rollercoaster in Georgia.
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died in the traumatic incident at the Georgia attraction on Monday, which struck on the park’s Goliath ride, leaving others injured as well.
In a statement, Six Flags said: ‘The safety of our guests and associates remains one of our highest priorities.’
Nitro in Great Adventure, Raging Bull in Great America; Behemoth and Leviathan in Canada’s Wonderland; Goliath in Magic Mountain, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker in Carowinds; and Orion and Diamondback in Kings Island have all closed.
The rollercoaster design company behind all but one of the coasters, Bolliger & Mabillard, said they are investigating the incident.
‘We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected,’ the company said.
Kariem’s wife reportedly watched from the ground as her husband fell from the ‘super’ rollercoaster, which can reach speeds of up to 70mph, with eyewitnesses describing the chilling moment they locked eyes with him.
The community is reeling from the sudde
n loss of Kariem, a stepdad and technology teacher at Wesley International Academy, who had recently walked away alive from a car crash.
He was also a two-time lymphoma survivor, most recently in 2018, and was ill in hospital with Covid-19, his family revealed to Atlanta broadcaster WSB-TV.
Three weeks before his death at Six Flags Over Georgia, Kariem and his 10-year-old stepdaughter were involved in the crash, which damaged the car beyond repair, but the pair were unhurt, according to 11 Alive.
His cousin, Geo Ashe, said he was a regular visitor to Six Flags since childhood, going to the attraction twice during summers along with their grandmother.
Geo said his cousin didn’t have biological children, but he loved being a parent.
He told Fox 5: ‘He loved doing that; he loved kids. And he doesn’t have any biological kids, but his stepdaughter is his daughter. She’s been with him since she was two, three years old.’
He continued: ‘He was the sunshine of our family. Our whole family is devastated by this because it just happened out of the blue. It happened how it happened, and you would never expect anything like that.’
His family released a statement after the shocking death, describing the 42-year-old as ‘exceptionally intelligent, thoughtful and kind.’
They urged people to refrain from posting or circulating sensitive footage online following reports that his final moments were captured on the souvenir cameras on the ride.
Eyewitnesses said he hit the ride three times during his fall, and he was reportedly found unresponsive on the ground near a Halloween attraction.
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