Six Flags Over Georgia will reopen for normal operations on Friday, Oct. 16 after a man died from falling off a roller coaster at the Atlanta suburb amusement park earlier this week, the park said. The coaster the man was ejected from will remain temporarily closed.
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta died after he was ejected from a roller coaster at the park on Monday, Oct. 12, according to a Cobb County Police Department news release. Atlanta television stations WSB and 11 Alive reported that the man died after falling from the Goliath roller coaster.
Opened in 2006, the Goliath "hypercoaster" reaches top speed of 70 mph and a maximum elevation of 200 feet, according to the Six Flags website. The ride lasts about 3 and a half minutes.
In
an update shared on the park's website, Six Flags Over Georgia President Richard Pretlow said the Goliath will remain temporarily closed.
"We were deeply saddened by the recent incident at the park," Pretlow said in the statement. "I also want to acknowledge the guests and team members affected by this tragic event and assure them they remain in our thoughts."
Pretlow added that the park is cooperating fully with local authorities and out of respect for the victim's family, will not share additional details.
Roller coaster manufacture Bolliger & Mabillard told USA TODAY that the company is reviewing the incident and will not comment further until "we have a better understand of what happened."
Similar coasters to remain closed across country
Six Flags told USA TODAY via email on Oct. 13 that in addition to the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, the following similar rides will be temporarily closed:
- Raging Bill at Six Flags Great America in Lake County, Illinois
- Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles
- Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey
- Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario
- Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island in Warren County, Ohio
Six Flags did not share a date for when the coasters are expected to reopen.
Latest death at Six Flags Over Georgia
Since the amusement park's opening in 1967, at least eight deaths of customers or employees have been tried to Six Flags Over Georgia, according to findings publishing by The Doan Law Firm injury attorneys. Three other deaths were related to the park's coasters.
The first death at the park was in 1989 when an 11-year-old boy became unresponsive after riding the park's Z-Force rollercoaster. The cause of death was undetermined.
In 2002, a groundskeeper walking below the park's Batman: The Ride was kicked in the head by a passing coaster rider and died. In 2006, a 45-year-old with a heart condition suffered a fatal heart attack while aboard the park's Goliath. And in 2008, a 17-year-old was decapitated after climbing into a restricted area underneath the park's Batman: The Ride coaster.
Other deaths at the park were associated with traffic accidents and one case of a bacterial infection suspected to have been sustained after using the park's Hurricane Harbor wave pool in 2014, according to the law firm's findings.
Contributing: Eve Chen, USA TODAY
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Six Flags Over Georgia to open Friday after man's roller coaster death
