Six Flags adds seat belts to Georgia roller coaster and closes eight others following fatal accident

Park visitors face temporary closures of nine roller coasters across the U.S. and Canada while Six Flags implements safety upgrades and inspections.

• •Six Flags will install seat belts on the Goliath roller coaster in Georgia and other coasters with similar restraints following a rider's death.
• •The fatal incident occurred on Oct. 12 involving 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
• •Six Flags has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five parks in the U.S. and Canada that share the same manufacturer and restraint system.
• •The affected rides were manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and feature clamshell restraints sitting at the top of a vertical bar between riders' knees.
• •Six Flags has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to review safety procedures for all rides across its theme parks.
• •SeaWorld Orlando and La Ronde in Montreal temporarily closed one roller coaster apiece using clamshell restraints following the incident, with SeaWorld having since reopened its Mako coaster.
• •The closed Six Flags coasters are located in parks in Gurnee, Illinois; Jackson Township, New Jersey; Charlotte, North Carolina; Mason, Ohio; and Vaughan, Ontario.