Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after falling from the Goliath "gigacoaster" at Six Flags in Georgia, US, on Saturday. His wife and daughter watched the incident unfold from ground level while his son was seated on the ride.
Fatal fall from Goliath
Fellow riders said Hassan made eye contact with them and struck three separate coaster cars as he fell. The Goliath attraction, the tallest in the state of Georgia, launched in 2006 and reaches maximum speeds of 70 mph.
Eyewitnesses reported that Hassan came loose from his lap restraint mid-ride and landed on the roof of a haunted house beneath. The fall was captured in official souvenir photographs available to other riders, and distressing images circulated on social media.
Witness accounts
One woman on the ride told 11Alive: "He didn't fall directly onto us. He fell onto a girl two rows in front of us. He fell and hit the cart three different times." She added: "He was in our pictures. His son was right beside him ... his son watched it all."
Parkgoer Logan Conner, riding with his fiancée, said the man "started levitating in the air sideways" as he tumbled. Fellow rider Fred Sowemimo told NBC that Hassan's safety harness appeared to become "dislodged" and "he flew out."
Aftermath and response
Park staff refused to allow riders to disembark immediately. Passengers were brought down in groups of four, while others remained trapped mid-ride. Four additional riders sustained injuries, and many passengers were left covered in Hassan's blood.
The incident remains under investigation and the attraction is closed. Six Flags has shut down its nine large "gigacoasters" such as the Goliath across North America "out of an abundance of caution."
