Six Flags adding seat belts to Goliath rollercoaster following death
The CEO of the amusement park chain said the company is evaluating its safety procedures at all of its 34 locations, including adding seat belts to some rides.
Six Flags says it will install seat belts on some of its rollercoasters after a man died on the Goliath ride in Georgia earlier this month.
In a letter to customers late Friday, company CEO John Reilly said the amusement park operator is strengthening safety measures across its parks, including adding seat belts to Goliath and similar rides that already use lap bar restraints.
The company operates 34 amusement park locations across North America and has more than 220 rollercoasters in all.
Reilly said Georgia’s Goliath will stay closed while safety reviews are carried out and, “out of an abundance of caution,” eight other rides at five other parks will also remain shut.
He also said Six Flags has brought in independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to examine safety procedures across all of its amusement parks. The company, he said, is committed to acting on the experts’ findings and will provide progress updates.
On 12 October, 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was killed at Six Flags Over Georgia after being thrown from the Goliath, police said. Four other passengers were injured when he fell.
The investigation is still ongoing.
“Our hearts remain with the family and loved ones of Hassan Kariem, those injured, and everyone impacted by the tragic incident,” Reilly said in his letter.
“What happened has deeply affected all of us at Six Flags,” he added.
According to the park website, the Goliath opened in 2006 and features a 200ft (60m) elevation, a 170ft plunge, a 540-degree spiral, and speeds of up to 70mph (112km/h). Six Flags rates it at level four out of five on its “thrill scale”.
More than 28 million guests visit Six Flags locations each year, according to the company’s website.
October’s deadly incident was not the first time a visitor has been injured at one of the parks.
An Iraq War veteran died in 2011 after being ejected from a ride in New York. In 2013, a woman died after slipping from her restraints and falling 75 feet from a coaster in Texas.
In 2022, a 22-year-old man died from a brain injury after riding the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. His family reached a wrongful death settlement with the theme park in August.
The next month, the California park said it was shutting down its X2 rollercoaster after more than 100 people claimed they had suffered brain injuries from the ride.