Investigators have not determined what caused Hassan Kariem to be ejected from Goliath, leaving crucial questions about negligence and responsibility unresolved.
MABLETON, Ga. — Whether Six Flags Over Georgia faces civil liability after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster and died will likely depend on what investigators determine about the ride’s restraints, maintenance, inspections and operation before the Oct. 12 incident.
The fatal fall alone does not establish that Six Flags was legally negligent. Georgia’s highest court has held that operators of amusement rides owe patrons a duty of ordinary care, rather than the heightened duty required of public transportation carriers. At the same time, that standard does not shield an amusement park from responsibility if evidence shows it failed to take reasonable safety precautions or failed to address a hazard it knew about or reasonably should have discovered. State regulators and Cobb County police have not announced a cause for Kariem’s fall or concluded that Six Flags, an employee or the coaster’s manufacturer was at fault.
Cobb County police said preliminary information from witnesses and employees indicates Kariem was ejected from Goliath and struck other riders before falling beneath the attraction shortly before 4 p.m. Four juveniles were taken by ambulance to hospitals with injuries police described as not life-threatening. Kariem, an Atlanta school employee, was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. He had been visiting the park with relatives for his niece’s birthday, and family members said his niece was seated beside him.
The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire has maintained an investigative presence at the park since the incident. Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said Goliath’s most recent state inspection was March 16. Regulators reported no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags during that inspection. The agency is now reviewing inspection, permitting and incident records and examining whether the attraction complied with state safety requirements. A clean inspection seven months before the incident does not, by itself, resolve what happened on Oct. 12 or determine legal responsibility.
The legal standard governing amusement rides in Georgia dates in part to a 1982 Georgia Supreme Court decision involving Six Flags. In Harlan v. Six Flags Over Georgia, Inc., the court considered whether amusement rides should be treated like buses, trains and other public conveyances, whose operators were held to a higher standard of care. The court rejected that comparison and concluded that the operator of an amusement device owes riders ordinary care. The ruling means any civil claim arising from Kariem’s death could depend heavily on whether Six Flags acted reasonably under the circumstances known before the accident.
Investigators are also facing questions about Goliath’s restraint system. The coaster uses a lap restraint and does not have a secondary seat belt. The Associated Press reported that some guests who rode Goliath before the fatal incident described concerns about the restraints. One mother said a restraint used by her children earlier that day repeatedly failed to remain locked, prompting her son to move to another seat. Those accounts have not been established as the cause of Kariem’s ejection, and neither Six Flags nor state investigators has publicly confirmed that his restraint malfunctioned.
Kariem’s family has provided another piece of information that investigators may examine. His 13-year-old niece told relatives that he appeared to lose consciousness before he fell from the coaster, according to local reporting. Authorities have not said whether that account has been confirmed or whether a medical issue played any role in the incident. The significance of that report remains uncertain until investigators reconstruct what occurred and determine how Kariem came out of his seat.
Goliath, which opened in 2006, rises about 200 feet and reaches speeds of about 70 mph. It was built by Swiss roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. The manufacturer has said it is examining the incident and has limited further comment while the investigation continues. Six Flags temporarily closed several similar hypercoasters at other parks as a precaution, and other amusement park operators also halted comparable rides for safety reviews. Those closures do not establish that Goliath or other coasters have a common defect.
Six Flags Over Georgia reopened as scheduled Friday, Oct. 16, after being closed during days when the park was not scheduled to operate. Goliath remains out of service. Park President Richard Pretlow said the company is cooperating with authorities and remains committed to guest safety. Georgia regulations require an amusement ride involved in an accident causing a fatality or serious injury to remain out of service until the state completes its investigation and determines the conditions, if any, under which it may operate again.
For any future lawsuit, the state investigation could provide some of the most important evidence. Maintenance and inspection records, the condition of the restraint involved, employee procedures, witness accounts and any evidence of earlier warning signs could help determine whether reasonable precautions were taken. The March inspection could support Six Flags’ position that the coaster had passed regulatory review, but it would not prevent a finding of negligence if investigators identify a later problem that should have been detected or corrected.
No public finding as of Saturday has established why Kariem was ejected or whether negligence contributed to his death. Cobb County police and Georgia safety regulators continue to investigate, and the state has not announced when that work will be completed. Goliath will remain closed unless regulators determine it can safely return to service.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.