Eyewitnesses described a horrifying scene Monday after a man was reportedly ejected from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and fell to his death.
People who spoke with ABC News on condition of anonymity said the man came out of his seat on the park’s Goliath coaster, struck the ride multiple times and then fell to the ground Monday afternoon.
Police identified the person who died as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem.
“A man slips out of his seat, and he turns sideways, and he’s flipping in the air,” one witness said. “He comes down, he slams down on our cart. You could feel him slam down on the cart and then come back up. He comes back up, he flips again, comes down on our cart again.”
The witness said the man’s “restraint came undone.”
“People reached out trying to grab him, like everybody tried to save this man,” the witness said.
Another witness said the force of the incident made it impossible for anyone to catch him: “There was too much force to grab him.”
Police said several other people were injured in the incident, which happened shortly before 4 p.m. Monday.
“Nobody could breathe. Everybody’s screaming, crying, freaking out. Parents are running up there telling them, ‘Let our kids off this ride,’” the first witness said.
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The Cobb County Police Department said detectives from its Major Crimes Unit were responding to investigate what happened.
The cause of the deadly incident remains unclear. In a later statement, authorities said preliminary information from witness and employee interviews indicated that Kariem was ejected from the attraction, struck other patrons and fell beneath the ride. Investigators said the circumstances were still under review.
Six Flags Over Georgia is in Austell, west of Atlanta. According to the park’s website, Goliath rises 200 feet and reaches speeds of up to 70 mph. The roller coaster opened in 2006.
A Six Flags spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and extended its “thoughts and heartfelt condolences.”
“The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation,” the spokesperson said.
The company also said Monday that it had “temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks” as a precaution.
Lisa N. Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said she could not imagine “the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today” and that her heart ached for the victim’s family.
Cupid called the amusement park “a significant part of our tourism landscape,” adding that the community was struggling to understand how such a devastating event could occur at a place associated with happy memories for generations of families.
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