Entertainment
Six Flags will add seat belts to Goliath after a Georgia rider's death
The company says the coaster stays closed while engineers and state inspectors review it, nearly two weeks after a 42-year-old man was killed on the ride.
What to know
- **Oct. 23, 2026:** Six Flags said it will add seat belts to Goliath, the roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia where a rider died on Oct. 12, and to other coasters with a similar restraint, according to a statement from CEO John Reilly and NBC News.
- Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was ejected from the ride and died, NBC News reported. He worked at Wesley International Academy, an Atlanta Public Schools campus.
- Goliath remains closed. Under Georgia rules, it cannot reopen until the state's investigation is complete, the state insurance office said. Several rides at five other Six Flags parks are also closed as a precaution.
- No cause has been announced, and no reopening date has been set.
Six Flags says it will add seat belts to Goliath, the giant roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia outside Atlanta, nearly two weeks after a rider was killed on it. The company announced the change on Friday, Oct. 23, along with other safety steps, while state inspectors and police continue to investigate, according to NBC News and a statement from Six Flags CEO John Reilly. The coaster remains closed, and no one has said when, or whether, it will reopen.
*This report draws on reporting by NBC News, a statement from Six Flags and an update from Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner; full list of sources below.*
What happened
On Oct. 12, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was ejected from Goliath and died, NBC News reported. He worked at Wesley International Academy, part of Atlanta Public Schools. In his statement, Reilly said the company's hearts are with the Kariem family and with those who were injured.
The cause of the accident has not been made public. Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, the state agency that inspects amusement rides, opened an investigation, and the Cobb County Police Department is leading the law enforcement side of the case, the agency said in an Oct. 15 update.
What Six Flags is changing
In the statement posted on the Six Flags website, Reilly laid out several steps:
- **Seat belts:** the company will add seat belts on Goliath and on other coasters that use a similar restraint. The statement did not list those rides or describe the design. - **Training:** Six Flags says it is expanding operator training with multiple stages. - **Outside review:** independent engineers have been brought in to review ride safety across all of the company's parks. - **Closures:** Goliath is closed until safety reviews are finished and the ride has been cleared, and the statement says eight additional rides at five other parks have been closed out of caution.
"Trust is earned through actions and not words," Reilly wrote. He also said guests have taken more than 1 billion rides at Six Flags parks over the past four years.
Which other rides are closed?
According to NBC News, which cited the company, rides that had been closed include Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island.
That list names nine rides, while Reilly's statement refers to eight additional rides. The company has not published a ride-by-ride list on the statement page, so visitors should check each park's app or website before going. Several of these parks, such as Kings Island, Carowinds and Canada's Wonderland, became part of Six Flags when the company merged with Cedar Fair in 2024.
Six Flags parks remain open through Halloween weekend, with more than 220 roller coasters operating, the company said.
What the inspection records show
Georgia requires stationary amusement rides to be inspected before they open and at least once a year, according to the state insurance office. In its Oct. 15 update, the office said Goliath's most recent inspection was on March 16, 2026, and that no violations or deficiencies were reported and no citations or red tags were issued.
NBC News, reviewing inspection reports from 2014 through 2026 released by the same office, reported that Goliath repeatedly passed its inspections even as inspectors noted issues over the years, including corrosion, worn drive wheels and problems with supports and foundations. NBC reported that the March 2026 report was a pass but noted that some bushings needed to be replaced.
The two accounts are not necessarily in conflict, since a ride can pass inspection while maintenance items are noted, but they describe the same inspection differently. NewsCubby is attributing each to its source. No agency has linked any item in the reports to the accident.
Who decides when Goliath reopens?
The state does. Under Georgia's process, any ride involved in an accident that causes a death or serious injury must stay out of service until the insurance office has completed its investigation, the agency said. The office, led by Commissioner John F. King, decides when the ride may reopen and under what conditions. It has said it will share its findings once the investigation is complete.
About Goliath
Goliath opened at Six Flags Over Georgia, in Austell, west of Atlanta, in 2006. It is a "hyper coaster," a category of tall, fast steel coasters known for big drops and moments of airtime, when riders lift slightly off their seats. Rides like this typically rely on lap bars to hold riders in place. Many coasters elsewhere pair a lap bar with a seat belt as a backup, which is the kind of second layer Six Flags now says it will add.
Other scrutiny
The Georgia accident comes as Six Flags faces other questions about ride safety. In September, riders filed a lawsuit alleging they suffered brain injuries on X2, a coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, NBC News reported. Those claims have not been decided in court.
If you are visiting a Six Flags park this weekend
The parks are open, and the company says more than 220 coasters are running. But the closures mean some headline rides will not be available at Six Flags Over Georgia, Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Adventure, Canada's Wonderland, Carowinds and Kings Island. Halloween weekend is one of the busiest times of the year at many parks, so it is worth checking each park's app or website for ride status before buying tickets or making the trip.
The state insurance office said in its Oct. 15 update that it has maintained a full investigative presence at Six Flags Over Georgia since the accident. Goliath will not run during that investigation.
What happens next
Goliath will stay closed while the state investigation, the police investigation and the company's engineering review continue. Six Flags has not said when the seat belts will be installed or which other coasters will get them. The state insurance office has said it will release its findings when its work is done.
NewsCubby will update this story when investigators release findings or Six Flags announces more changes.
*This report draws on reporting by NBC News, a statement from Six Flags and an update from Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. It summarizes their information in our own words; quotes are attributed to the people and organizations that published them.*
