The Georgia man who died after falling from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was a cancer survivor and had recently escaped unharmed from a devastating car fire.
Hassan Kariem, 42, had survived lymphoma twice and was previously hospitalized with COVID-19, family friends told WSB-TV.
Around three weeks before the fatal Six Flags accident, Kariem and his 10-year-old stepdaughter were involved in a fiery crash that destroyed their vehicle. Both escaped without injuries, 11 Alive reports.
Kariem had spent summers visiting Six Flags Over Georgia with his family. His cousins told Fox 5 that he returned to the park on Monday to continue that tradition with his partner, her daughter and her niece.
Instead, his life ended at about 4 p.m. when he was thrown from his seat on the Goliath roller coaster in front of shocked riders.
Police found Kariem unresponsive behind a haunted-house attraction prepared for Halloween after he struck the ride three times.
Four other people were taken to the hospital following the incident.
‘We’re absolutely devastated by this loss,’ family friend Elicia Day said. ‘Any loss of a family member or friend is tragic, but to lose him in this manner is beyond words can even express.
‘I just really want a full investigation, and we want answers about how this happened.’
Hassan Kariem, 42, the Georgia man who died after falling from a roller coaster on Monday, had survived lymphoma twice and was once hospitalized with COVID. Source: Hassan Jihad Kariem/Facebook
Kariem was visiting the theme park on Monday with his partner, her daughter and her niece. Source: Hassan Jihad Kariem/Facebook
Cobb County police said Kariem appeared to have been ‘ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction.’
Authorities are investigating what went wrong on Goliath, which has operated at the theme park since 2006.
Witnesses said the restraints on the roller coaster, which rises more than 200 feet, had made a ‘weird clicking’ sound. Park employees reportedly checked them ‘multiple times’ before the car carrying Kariem began its run.
Disturbing images appeared to show him falling headfirst over other riders and off the roller coaster as families and children recoiled in horror.
‘The man started levitating in the air sideways, come back [and hit the cart],’ witness Logan Conner, who was riding with his fiancée, told WXIA.
‘The cart went back up in the air, flipped, came down, [he] hit the cart, went back up in the air, came down, hit the cart again and then the ride stopped.
‘As the last hit happened… we made direct eye contact with him,’ Conner said.
Conner’s fiancée was later seen crying as she tried to describe what they had witnessed in a video recorded after the couple left the ride. The attraction was evacuated afterward.
‘The Goliath at Six Flags just launched a man out of his seat, three times on our car,’ she said through tears.
Riders were left ‘screaming’ on the towering rollercoaster after the man fell to his death
The victim died and several others were injured during an incident on the 200-foot-tall Goliath rollercoaster (above) at the theme park outside Atlanta, Georgia on Monday
After Kariem was identified as the victim, Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement that he would be remembered as a beloved educator and technology professional in the district.
‘He was a cherished member of the Wesley International Academy and APS families whose presence and impact will be deeply missed by our students, staff, and all those whose lives he touched,’ the school district said.
‘Our thoughts are with everyone mourning his loss during this difficult time.’
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When he wasn’t teaching, Day said Kariem kept busy with his 3D printing business because he loved technology.
Family members further described him to 11 Alive as a passionate educator who loved his city and was invested in bringing families together at extended family gatherings.
His greatest devotion, though, was reserved for his family and the young girl he raised on his own.
‘He loved doing that, he loved kids,’ cousin Geo Ashe told Fox 5. ‘And he doesn’t have any biological kids, but his stepdaughter is his daughter. She’s been with him since she was two, three years old.’
Family members described Kariem as ‘the sunshine of our family.’ Source: Hassan Jihad Kariem/Facebook
‘He was the sunshine of our family,’ Ashe continued. ‘Our whole family is devastated by this because it just happened out [of] the blue.
‘It happened how it happened, and you would never expect anything like that.’
Family members now want the community to remember the generosity, kindness and character they said defined Kariem’s life as they asked for privacy.
‘San was exceptionally intelligent, thoughtful and kind,’ the family said in a statement, using a nickname for Kariem. ‘He had a gentle spirit and a warmth that made people feel safe, seen and valued.
‘Though he was a strong presence – a gentle giant in every sense – his strength was never intimidating. It was comforting,’ the family said.
‘He carried himself with humility, patience and compassion, giving generously to his family, students, colleagues, friends and community.
‘His life holds meaning far beyond anything shared online,’ the family noted. ‘He will always share a place in our hearts, our family and the Atlanta community.’
Christopher Hawley (center), 22, died after riding the X2 rollercoaster at Six Flags Mountain Magic with his brother and cousin in 2022. Source: Instagram
Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, seen left, collapsed after the ride and had massive brain bleeding, while Pamela Guillen, 40, seen right suffered severe brain hemorrhages after riding the X2
It remains unclear what may have caused the tragedy.
But park officials said they have temporarily closed the Goliath, along with a number of other rides at Six Flags attractions across the nation ‘out of an abundance of caution.’
Six Flags Magic Mountain in California had also previously announced it was demolishing its notorious X2 rollercoaster, following a series of lawsuits alleging it had caused severe injuries to riders.
The theme park operator had settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died after riding the coaster in 2022, and three other lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed.
The ride had then been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women who rode the coaster less than a week apart needed to be rushed to the hospital.
One of them, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was found to have massive brain bleeding inside the skull that required emergency brain surgery.
She now remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator.
Her family has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags on her behalf, with her attorneys saying that more than 100 people have claimed they suffered brain injuries from the rollercoaster over the past two years.
Another woman, 40-year-old Pamela Guillen, suffered severe brain hemorrhages after riding the X2 at Six Flags in Valencia, California.
Her daughter, Camille Marquez, told CNN: ‘We got off the cart and we saw my mom. She looked lifeless. Not a thought behind her eyes, nothing.’
More lawsuits would be filed in the coming weeks, the lawyers then vowed.
