Six Flags will add seat belts to the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and other rides with similar restraints, following the death of a rider who fell from the 200-foot-tall attraction earlier this month.
The announcement came in response to the October 12 death of 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, an Atlanta educator who was ejected mid-ride from the Goliath coaster. The ride, the tallest in Georgia, opened in 2006 and reaches top speeds of 70 mph. Kariem was riding with his son when he reportedly slipped out of his lap restraint and landed on the roof of a haunted house below, according to witnesses.
Safety Measures Announced
"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," John Reilly, president and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, said in a statement Friday.
Goliath remains shut down while state and local officials investigate the incident. Reilly did not specify which other coasters will receive seat belts, but Six Flags has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five other parks in the U.S. and Canada. Those rides share the same manufacturer and a similar restraint system.
Investigations and Closures
Six Flags has not said when those coasters will reopen. Reilly's statement said the company has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to review safety procedures for all rides at its theme parks.
Investigators have not said what went wrong on the Georgia coaster. Witnesses said they saw Kariem rise out of his seat and fall headfirst back into the cart before being ejected. Some riders who rode Goliath earlier that day said they had concerns about its restraints.
All nine of the Six Flags coasters taken offline were manufactured by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard. They feature similar clamshell restraints that sit at the top of a vertical bar between each rider's knees, locking a padded restraint over the rider's lap and upper legs. A U.S. patent granted to the company in 2001 says the system is designed to make riders feel "that he is seated on a flying carpet or that he is at the controls of a kind of flying scooter, while still guaranteeing optimum security."
Other Parks Affected
Following the death, non-Six Flags parks SeaWorld Orlando in Florida and La Ronde in Montreal, Canada, also temporarily closed one roller coaster apiece that use clamshell restraints. SeaWorld reopened its Mako coaster Tuesday after it had been offline for a week. The Associated Press emailed the company Saturday asking if seat belts or other safety upgrades were planned. The AP also emailed a spokesperson for La Ronde seeking an update on its shuttered coaster.
In addition to Goliath in Georgia, eight coasters remain closed at Six Flags parks in Gurnee, Illinois; Jackson Township, New Jersey; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mason, Ohio; and Vaughan, Ontario.
