Six Flags has temporarily closed nine rides across six parks following the death of a 42-year-old man on a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, of Atlanta, died on Monday after falling from Goliath, a hypercoaster that reaches speeds of up to 70mph and stands 200ft high. Police said several other people were injured.
A witness, Nick Mendenhall, said he had ridden Goliath with his teenage son just minutes before the incident. He described seeing the man “come straight up out of his seat”.
“Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion,” Mr Mendenhall said. “It was just surreal seeing it happen.”
Six Flags said the similar attractions had been closed as a precaution while authorities investigate.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks,” a company spokesperson said. “The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities.”
The company has not specified which rides were affected. The Nitro roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, was among those closed.
Six Flags Over Georgia was shut on Tuesday for a scheduled non-operating day. The company said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident and was co-operating fully with authorities.
Investigation into Georgia roller-coaster death
Investigators are expected to examine video footage, maintenance logs and statements from witnesses and ride attendants as they work to establish what happened, said Brian Avery, a legal and risk professor at the University of Florida.
“All of these are clues to kind of build to the root cause and trying to come to an actual understanding as to why this would have occurred,” he said.
Mr Avery said the chances of being involved in a roller-coaster incident were very low, but said he hoped to see federal oversight of safety standards for amusement rides.
The incident came two weeks after Six Flags permanently closed its X2 roller coaster at Magic Mountain in Southern California amid multiple lawsuits alleging that the ride caused serious brain injuries. Six Flags declined to comment on the pending litigation.
