Roller coaster rider's death puts spotlight on the safety of ever more thrilling rides

The horrific death of a man who was ejected from a Six Flags roller coaster in Georgia is drawing attention to the safety of amusement park rides that have become increasingly faster and steeper in their quest for the biggest thrill.

Fatal roller coaster accidents are extremely rare, and Georgia officials have said little about why Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old school employee from Atlanta, was thrown from his seat on Monday while riding the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia, striking other patrons before falling below the ride.

Goliath sends riders plunging from 200 feet (61 meters) at speeds reaching 70 mph (112 kph). Rather than upside-down loops and corcksrews, the two-decade-old coaster focuses on velocity and downhill plunges.

Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters across North America as a precaution. The ride's manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard, said it was “actively investigating the incident and will not comment further until we have a better understanding of what happened.”

A ‘gentle giant’

To his family, Kariem was a beloved and intelligent man who died during an outing with people he loved.

“He was just a great, smart guy,” She Robinson, who identified herself as Kariem’s cousin, said. “He was a gentle giant that everybody loved.”

“He was smart as a little kid. He was quiet and then he bloomed and blossomed into something that was phenomenal,” she said.

He loved Atlanta and Six Flags Over Georgia, Robinson said, and was visiting the park Monday with his significant other, her daughter and her niece, Robinson said.

The US has a patchwork of rules regarding rides

The federal government does not regulate roller coasters at major amusement parks. instead, oversight falls to states, creating what some call a patchwork of rules that range from strict regulations to minimal oversight.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has repeatedly sought to close what he calls a federal safety “loophole” that allows the Consumer Product Safety Commission to regulate traveling carnival rides but not stationary attractions at major parks.

Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees annual ride inspections, is “conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review” of Monday's death, said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson.

Amusement park industry has set its own safety standards

Amusement parks worldwide generally adhere to what are known as ASTM standards set by industry experts, which cover everything from ride design and construction to how much acceleration and force each rider is allowed to experience.

The industry has multiple layers of inspection, said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant and past president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a trade group. Park operators are under pressure from insurance carriers that could face a hefty payout if something goes wrong.

“With the checks and balances that are put in place, theme parks are really one of the safest places to be on the planet,” he said Tuesday.

Industry figures show 1.27 serious and reportable injuries per million roller coaster rides in 2024. Across all amusement park rides, the trade group said “guest behavior” contributed to 66% of the injuries that year, with 15% due to technical factors 9% to operational factors.

The trade group's current president, Jakob Wahl, offered condolences to Kariem's family Wednesday.

Experts say roller coaster safety mechanisms are ‘dependable’

Martin Lewison, a roller coaster expert and a professor at Farmingdale State College, said it was difficult to imagine there being a mechanical malfunction on a roller coaster such as Goliath because of its design.

The ride features a pull-down lap restraint called a “clamshell” that works with a ratchet mechanism that makes clicking sounds as you press it down over your hips. They have multiple disks to ensure redundancy if one fails, Lewison said.

“They’re dependable. They’re not so technically advanced that theme parks have difficulty with operations,” Lewison said.

The operator then has a safety system that displays a green “go” light for every seat on the train before it can be dispatched. The train should theoretically not be allowed to proceed unless all restraints are locked, Lewison said.

But few things are 100% safe

In 2022, a 14-year-old Missouri boy fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride when the harness didn't lock properly due to his size. In 2013, a 52-year-old Dallas woman was killed when she slipped from her seat on the Texas Giant ride at Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags redesigned restraint-bar pads and seat belts, and added a test seat at the ride’s entrance so guests can check whether they fit safely.

Nick Mendenhall, who witnessed Monday’s death and has ridden Goliath more than a dozen times in recent weeks, said he saw Six Flags staff check the restraints each time he rode it.

“There are two employees, one on either side of the train, and with their hands they push down and they make sure it locks every time. I’ve never seen them not do it,” Mendenhall said.

States handle oversight in different ways

California requires approval of new or modified rides by the state Department of Industrial Relations. Officials either directly inspect them and how they are being operated each year, or rely on an annual inspection by the owner, according to the department's website.

Florida exempts its largest theme parks, including Walt Disney World and Universal, from state safety inspections. Parks conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols, but must report injuries or deaths. Texas, similarly, relies on private inspectors hired by park operators or their insurance companies.

Arizona, where Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is located, has no statewide agency that regulates amusement park rides or conducts safety inspections at all. The law requires annual private inspections, with enforcement largely left to local government. ___

This story has been updated to correct the name of a roller coaster expert to Martin Lewison, not Lewinson.