Six Flags to Add Seat Belts to Georgia's Goliath Coaster After Rider's Death; 8 More Coasters Stay Closed

Six Flags says it will install seat belts on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and on other coasters with a similar restraint system, less than two weeks after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta died after being ejected from his seat on October 12. Goliath and eight other coasters at five other parks in the US and Canada remain closed while investigators examine what went wrong, and the company has brought in independent engineers to review safety procedures at all of its parks.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk24 October 20264 min readRead in all 3 languages

ATLANTA, Georgia — Six Flags will install seat belts on the Georgia roller coaster from which a rider fell to his death earlier this month, and its rides with similar restraints will also get the safety upgrade, the company announced on Friday. The announcement came less than two weeks after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta, died after being ejected from his seat on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on October 12, the Associated Press reported.

Source: Associated Press via 2822 News

“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 on Friday. “I know trust is earned through actions and not words. As CEO of Six Flags, I take that responsibility personally,” Reilly added.

Source: Associated Press via Tri-City Record

Goliath remains shut down while state and local officials investigate the October 12 death. Reilly did not specify which other coasters will get seat belts, but the company has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five other parks in the US and Canada. Those rides share the same manufacturer and a similar restraint system, and Six Flags has not said when they are expected to reopen.

Source: Associated Press via 2822 News

All nine of the coasters taken offline were manufactured by the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard and use 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 design that had no seat belts. Investigators have not said what went wrong on the Georgia coaster. Witnesses said they saw Kariem rise up out of his seat and fall headfirst back into the cart before being ejected, and some people who rode Goliath earlier that day said they had concerns about its restraints, the AP reported.

Source: Associated Press via 2822 News

Kariem worked at Wesley International Academy in the Atlanta Public Schools district, according to the district. More than 220 of the company's roller coasters remain in operation, and Reilly's statement said Six Flags has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to comprehensively review safety procedures for all rides across its theme parks.

Source: Fresh Blog News

Sources