Six Flags Adds Seatbelts After Fatal Fall

Six Flags is moving to retrofit its Goliath rollercoaster with seatbelts after a rider was fatally ejected from the attraction in Georgia. The incident has forced the company to address significant safety concerns while it navigates ongoing legal challenges regarding another major ride.

The fatal accident involved Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old father and educator. He was riding Goliath, a coaster that features a 165-foot drop followed by a second plunge of 180 feet. During the ride, Kariem was ejected from his seat and struck the other cars on the track as he fell.

In response to the tragedy, Six Flags temporarily suspended operations on Goliath. The shutdown also affected eight other rides across five different parks. Georgia state authorities have opened a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kariem's death.

John Reilly, the company's chief executive, addressed the incident in a statement released on Friday. He noted that the event deeply affected the entire organization. Reilly emphasized that safety remains a fundamental component of the guest experience.

Reilly announced that the company will install seatbelts on Goliath and other coasters that use a similar restraint system. He did not specify which additional rides would undergo the modification. Currently, Goliath uses a lap bar that locks across a rider's waist, a design manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard.

The park has also commissioned an independent review of safety procedures covering all its attractions. Reilly stated that trust is earned through actions rather than words. He promised to continue communicating progress and to hold the company accountable to its commitments.

The incident in Georgia occurs while Six Flags faces a lawsuit over alleged bodily harm involving its X2 ride at Magic Mountain. A recent investigation by CNN revealed a long record of brain injuries and at least two deaths connected to that specific coaster.

Court documents indicate that a group of former riders who say they suffered brain injuries on X2 has accused the park of negligence. They claim the park operated a defective coaster and kept it running despite known issues. Six Flags permanently closed the X2 coaster in September.

The company is now balancing the immediate need to restore rider confidence with the longer term task of addressing legal claims and implementing new safety hardware. The shift from lap bars to seatbelts represents a significant change in the engineering standards for these high speed attractions.