UNITED STATES · GEORGIA · THEME PARK SAFETY
Six Flags, one of North America’s biggest theme-park companies, says it will add seat belts to a Georgia roller coaster where a man died on 12 October, and to similar rides elsewhere.
Key Facts
- —What changed Six Flags will add seat belts to Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint.
- —Where Goliath is at Six Flags Over Georgia, in Cobb County, west of Atlanta.
- —When A man, 42, fell from the ride on Monday 12 October 2026 and died.
- —Still closed Goliath and eight other Six Flags coasters at five other parks remain shut.
- —Investigators Georgia’s insurance and safety fire office and Cobb County police have not announced a cause.
Six Flags will add seat belts to its Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and to other coasters with a similar restraint, after a man fell from Goliath and died on Monday 12 October 2026. Chief executive John Reilly announced the change on Friday 23 October in a message to guests and passholders, while Goliath and eight other rides at five more parks stay closed.
The change matters well beyond Georgia because Six Flags runs parks in the United States, Canada and Mexico and says its guests have taken more than one billion rides there in the past four years. Metro Puerto Rico, El Vocero and Primera Hora all ran the story, the last two credited to The Associated Press, but Six Flags lists no park in Puerto Rico and none of the three reports links the death to the island.
In Plain English
- Six Flags: a North American theme-park company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as FUN and led by President and Chief Executive John Reilly.
- Goliath: a 200-foot steel roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, built by the Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard, that reaches 70 miles per hour.
- Lap bar and seat belt: a lap bar is the padded bar that locks over a rider’s thighs, while a seat belt is a separate strap that adds a second hold.
- Georgia’s safety office: the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, led by Commissioner John F. King, which permits, inspects and investigates amusement rides in the state.
What Six Flags Announced
In its message to guests and passholders, dated Friday 23 October, Reilly wrote that Six Flags is “reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint.” He added that the company has “engaged independent engineers and ride inspection specialists” to review safety procedures across all of its rides and parks.
The message does not say which other rides will get belts or when any closed ride will reopen. NBC News reported, citing an email from a Six Flags spokesperson on Saturday 24 October, that three rides will receive belts: Goliath, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey and Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois.
Six Flags says eight more coasters at five other parks are closed “out of an abundance of caution,” while more than 220 of its roller coasters keep running through Halloween weekend. The same news report lists the other closed rides as Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland in Ontario, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in North Carolina, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio.
What Happened on Goliath
Cobb County police said in a statement that an incident involving a roller coaster occurred at about 3:58 p.m. on Monday 12 October, and WSB-TV reported that one visitor died and four others were injured. El Vocero and Metro Puerto Rico name the dead man as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta, and Metro, citing authorities, says he was ejected from his seat and struck other riders before falling.
Six Flags said on the day that it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today” and was cooperating fully with local authorities. Reilly’s message of 23 October opens with condolences, saying the company’s “hearts remain with the family and loved ones of Hassan Kariem, those injured, and everyone impacted.”
Goliath opened in 2006, climbs to 200 feet and reaches 70 miles per hour, according to the Six Flags website, which lists Bolliger & Mabillard as its maker. Attractions Magazine reports that Goliath uses individual clamshell lap-bar restraints without separate seat belts, which is what the new belts would add.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead.”
John F. King, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, 15 October 2026
Who Is Investigating
Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which permits, inspects and investigates amusement rides in the state, says investigators and engineers have been at the park since the accident. Commissioner John King said on Thursday 15 October that the office is examining the ride, its operation and its records to learn whether all state safety requirements were followed.
Goliath’s most recent state inspection, on Monday 16 March 2026, reported no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags, the office says. Under Georgia’s amusement ride rules, a ride involved in a fatal accident must be shut down and secured until the office has conducted a full investigation, and the office will decide when and under what conditions Goliath may reopen.
Cobb County police lead the law enforcement investigation, and King has promised to release findings when the work is finished. As of Sunday 25 October, neither the state office nor the police had announced what caused Kariem to leave the ride, in the statements we reviewed.
What It Means for You
If you plan to visit a Six Flags park this autumn, check the park’s website before you go, because Goliath and eight other coasters remain closed with no reopening date. Six Flags says more than 220 of its coasters are operating, so the closures cover nine rides across six parks.
Seat belts are a precaution, not a finding, because no investigator has said that Goliath’s restraint failed. Federal consumer-product law does not cover amusement rides that are permanently fixed to a site, and in Georgia the state’s safety office is the regulator that permits, inspects and investigates Goliath.
For investors, Six Flags shares (NYSE: FUN) fell 14.4% on Tuesday 13 October, the next trading day after the accident, and closed on Friday 23 October at US$6.77, about 43% below the 12 October close of US$11.92, according to house market data. The figures show the market’s reaction, not a cause, because what caused the accident is still unknown.
Read the companion piece in this cluster: Six Flags Safety Rules, Who Checks the Rides. Both articles are updated from the same verified sources.
What Is Not Known
Investigators have not said why Kariem was ejected, and no source we found says whether the restraint, the way it was locked or something else was involved. Attractions Magazine reported that the March inspection report included a note that bushings, parts that reduce friction between moving pieces, needed replacing, and CBS News reported that a person familiar with the park said they were unrelated to the restraint and had been replaced.
Neither claim has been confirmed by Georgia’s safety office, which says it is reviewing all inspection, permitting and incident records for the ride. The office has given no date for finishing its investigation or for deciding whether Goliath may reopen.
Six Flags has not said when Goliath or the other closed rides will reopen, how many rides beyond the three named will get belts, or what the work will cost. The company has also not published the findings of the independent engineers and inspectors it hired.
Connected Coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when did the Goliath accident happen?
It happened at about 3:58 p.m. on Monday 12 October 2026 at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, west of Atlanta. A 42-year-old man from Atlanta died after falling from the Goliath roller coaster.
What is Six Flags changing?
Six Flags will add seat belts to Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint, and has hired independent engineers and inspectors to review its rides. A news report said a spokesperson named Goliath, Nitro and Raging Bull as the three rides.
Are other Six Flags rides closed?
Yes, eight more coasters at five other parks are closed as a precaution, besides Goliath. Six Flags says more than 220 of its coasters are operating, so check the park’s website before you go.
Who investigates ride accidents in Georgia?
Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire permits, inspects and investigates amusement rides, while Cobb County police lead the law enforcement inquiry. Neither had announced a cause by Sunday 25 October 2026.
Why did Puerto Rican media report this?
Metro Puerto Rico, El Vocero and Primera Hora ran the story, the last two from a wire service’s Spanish-language report. Six Flags lists no park in Puerto Rico, and none of the reports links the death to the island.
Sources: Six Flags, Update from John Reilly, President and CEO, 23 October 2026; Six Flags Over Georgia, Goliath ride page; Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, press release of 15 October 2026; Georgia Rule 120-3-27-.06, accidents involving fatalities or serious personal injury; 15 U.S.C. 2052, definition of consumer product; WSB-TV, Cobb County police and Six Flags statements, 12 October 2026; Attractions Magazine, 23 October 2026; NBC News, 24 and 25 October 2026; CBS News, inspection experts; El Vocero, 24 October 2026; Primera Hora, 24 October 2026; Metro Puerto Rico, 24 October 2026. All opened on 25 October 2026. Share prices: house market data, closing prices of 12, 13 and 23 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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