People being evacuated from Six Flags Over Georgia
A man died after being ejected from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, with witnesses describing a horrifying scene in which he struck the ride several times before falling onto the roof of a haunted house attraction below.The incident occurred on the Goliath roller coaster at the amusement park in Cobb County, about 15 miles northwest of Atlanta. Police confirmed one death and said several others were injured, but did not provide details about the injuries or explain what caused the incident.
Witnesses told local broadcaster 11Alive that the man appeared to be thrown from his coaster car and struck the ride multiple times as he fell.
One passenger said the incident was captured in a souvenir photograph taken during the ride.“He was in our pictures,” the witness said. “He fell and hit the car three different times.” He added that the man’s body struck other riders before landing on the roof of a haunted house attraction.Another couple who were riding the coaster said they saw the man being ejected from his car. “We saw it all,” the man said, while his wife described the moment as they went from enjoying the ride to screaming in shock.
A woman told 11Alive that the man had been on the ride with his son, while his wife and daughter watched from the ground.The incident left other riders stranded on an incline and prompted an evacuation of the park. Videos show passengers being helped out of the stationary coaster cars and onto a staircase. The riders were in a car behind the one involved in the fatal incident.The cause of the accident remains unknown. Cobb County Police said detectives from the department’s major crimes unit were investigating.In a statement, Six Flags said it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and that park staff and local authorities had responded immediately. The company said it was cooperating fully with investigators and providing support to affected guests and employees.Cobb County board of commissioners chairwoman Lisa Cupid said she could not imagine the horror experienced by park visitors and staff. She added that next of kin had been notified and expressed condolences to the deceased man’s family.“We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories,” Cupid said.