A major change is coming to a 20-year-old amusement park ride after a rider fell to his death outside Atlanta earlier this month.
On Oct. 12, 42-year-old Hassan Kariem became dislodged from the Goliath ride at Six Flags Over Georgia and fatally fell about 200 feet to the ground. Kariem was an educator at an Atlanta area school and was sitting next to a family member on the ride when he fell.
While the park has reopened, the Goliath ride (and eight others like it at other Six Flags and associated parks across the country) has not.
Here's what we know about the changes coming to the ride.
Six Flags adding seatbelts to Goliath-like rides
Guests of Six Flags have taken more than 1 billion rides over the past four years, according to the company, and rider deaths are incredibly rare. Kariem is only
the second reported rider death in the past four years, the other being a 22-year-old rider who suffered a brain bleed after riding the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2022.
The Goliath ride remains closed and under investigation, but Six Flags announced some changes are already coming.
"We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint," Six Flags President and CEO John Reilly said in a statement. "Safety also depends on the dedicated teams who operate and maintain our attractions every day. Our ride operators complete a comprehensive, multi-stage training program that includes classroom instruction, hands-on training and supervised, on-the-job experience, with additional instruction and evaluation provided as necessary."
Reilly said the company is also launching independent engineers and "ride inspection specialists" to conduct reviews of the company's current safety protocols across all rides, parks and attractions across the country. Should it be recommended, additional safety changes could be made to Goliath or other rides.
Goliath, and the other eight similar rides, will remain closed until the necessary changes are made, the company said.
What kind of safety bar did Goliath already have?
The Goliath coaster used a clamshell-style lap-bar restraint as the sole restraint to keep riders safe on the coaster.
The clamshell lap bar works by swinging down from in front of the rider's legs to the top of a rider's lap and thighs and locking through a mechanical ratcheting design. The restraint was designed by the coaster's manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard.
Metal locking pins slide over curved metal teeth that make the distinct clicking sound coaster riders know. Because of the shape of the teeth, the locking mechanism can only get tighter, but can not lift back up when pushed against.
Six Flags has not released whether the locking mechanism of Kariem's seat failed, or if he became dislodged in another way.
The seat belts will add an additional level of security to keep riders in their seats without needing an over-the-shoulder restraint.
When will the Goliath ride reopen?
There is not a date set for the Goliath ride to reopen at Six Flags Over Georgia. Changes to the ride are pending additional investigations and safety reviews.
The rest of the park has reopened to the public.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Six Flags make changes to Goliath after park death? What we know
