Six Flags Over Georgia is reopening Friday, days after a local teacher died at the park when he was ejected from the 200-foot-high, 70 mph Goliath roller coaster.
The Atlanta-area theme park has been closed since Monday, when victim Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after being thrown from the roller coaster. The park, which is on its weekend operating schedule, told ABC News that it will open as scheduled Friday.
Goliath will remain closed and does not have a reopening date yet, Six Flags Over Georgia Park President Richard Pretlow said in a release.
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“We were deeply saddened by the recent incident at the park,” Mr. Pretlow said. “My thoughts and heartfelt condolences remain with the individual involved, their family, friends and loved ones. … Our team responded immediately and cooperated fully with local authorities as they worked to understand what took place. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time.”
In addition to Goliath, another nine similar rides have been temporarily shuttered at sister parks across North America, including the same-named roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, roughly 32 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King provided an update Thursday to his agency’s investigation of the incident, confirming that Goliath passed its most recent state inspection on March 16 and that “no violations, deficiencies, citations, or red tags were reported” at the time.
The March 16 inspection and associated records are now under review.
A woman who saw Mr. Kariem fall and who had ridden the ride earlier that day with her family says her family noticed looseness in the lap bars meant to keep riders in place.
“My older two children rode on the cart ahead of us. I noticed they kept trying to push theirs down tighter. I assured them that they were OK. But once my husband, youngest child and I loaded our cart and headed up the incline, I quickly understood why my older two were messing with theirs. It just didn’t feel secure and tight,” Summer Bates told The Associated Press.
The Cobb County Police Department is leading the law enforcement investigation into the death of Mr. Kariem, who worked for Atlanta Public Schools at the Wesley International Academy charter school.
Cobb County police confirmed Wednesday that there were four people injured during the incident when Mr. Kariem struck them as he fell, and that all four were minors, according to WAGA.
The minor that Mr. Kariem accompanied onto the ride was not among the four minors who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to WAGA-TV.
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