Six Flags is adding seat belts to its towering Goliath roller coaster after a beloved father fell to his death during a horrifying ride.
Six Flags President and CEO John Reilly announced the added safety measure Friday, following the Oct. 12 death of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, who fell from the 200-foot-tall attraction at Six Flags Over Georgia.
The Atlanta teacher was riding the massive coaster when he was suddenly thrown from the speeding train, according to police and witness accounts.
One eyewitness gave a particularly gruesome account, saying Kariem struck the coaster cars three times during the fall. Shocked riders were left screaming and covered in blood.
Kariem was pronounced dead at the scene. Four children injured in the incident were taken to nearby hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
The Goliath roller coaster ride lasts about 3.5 minutes, reaches speeds of approximately 70 mph and rises 200 feet above the amusement park.
At the time of the accident, riders were secured by padded, U-shaped “clamshell” lap bars that lock across the thighs instead of seat belts.
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The tragedy has prompted Six Flags to introduce additional safety precautions, including seat belts on Goliath and other roller coasters fitted with similar restraints.
“What happened has deeply affected all of us at Six Flags,” Reilly wrote in a news release after the accident. He said the company’s commitment to safety requires “constant vigilance and determination to continually improve.”
“We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint,” he said.
“I know trust is earned through actions and not words. As CEO of Six Flags, I take that responsibility personally.”
Six Flags Over Georgia remains open, but Goliath has been shut down “pending necessary safety reviews and clearances,” the CEO said.
“We have engaged independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to comprehensively review current safety procedures across our entire portfolio of rides and attractions, across all of our parks,” Reilly said.
He added that eight other rides at five additional Six Flags parks had also been closed “out of an abundance of caution.”
“Our hearts remain with the family and loved ones of Hassan Kariem, those injured, and everyone impacted by the tragic incident at Six Flags Over Georgia,” Reilly said.
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