Six Flags Entertainment Corp. will be adding seat belts to certain rides, including Goliath, the coaster at its Georgia theme park that threw a man to his death this month.
In a letter to “guests and passholders” posted online Friday, Six Flags CEO John Reilly said the safety belts would be added to Goliath and others that have similar lap bar restraints.
Guest Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died Oct. 12 after being thrown from Goliath, which is 200 feet tall and has speeds up to 70 mph. Summer Bates, a woman who saw him fall, told The Associated Press that she noticed looseness in the restraints when she rode earlier that day.
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The Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia remains closed “pending necessary safety reviews and clearances,” and eight other rides at Six Flags-run parks across North America are shut down “out of an abundance of caution,” Mr. Reilly said.
In the aftermath of the death, the company closed nine rides across its parks, but the version of Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles has since reopened, a park representative told People.
“Our hearts remain with the family and loved ones of Hassan Kariem, those injured, and everyone impacted by the tragic incident at Six Flags Over Georgia. … Across our parks, guests have taken more than one billion rides over the past four years, supported by comprehensive safety, maintenance and inspection programs. That commitment requires constant vigilance and determination to continually improve,” Mr. Reilly said.
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