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NewsWPLG Local 10 – Main FeedOctober 24, 2026Miami-Dade County

Six Flags adds seat belts to Georgia roller coaster following fatal accident

Photo: WPLG Local 10 – Main Feed

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced it will install seat belts on the Goliath roller coaster in Georgia and other coasters with similar restraints following a fatal accident earlier this month. The company has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five other parks in the U.S. and Canada that share the same manufacturer and restraint system while investigations and safety reviews are conducted.

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Read the full story at WPLG Local 10 – Main Feed

Why It Matters

Park visitors face temporary closures of nine roller coasters across North America while independent engineers review safety procedures and secondary restraints are installed.

Key Facts

  • Six Flags will install seat belts on the Goliath roller coaster and other park coasters that use similar restraint systems.
  • The safety upgrade announcement follows the death of 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, who fell from the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
  • Goliath remains shut down while state and local officials investigate the Oct. 12 incident.
  • Six Flags has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters across five parks in the U.S. and Canada that share the same manufacturer and restraint system.
  • The nine affected roller coasters were manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard and use clamshell restraints involving a vertical knee bar and a lap-and-leg padded restraint.
  • Six Flags has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to review ride safety procedures across all its theme parks.
  • Non-Six Flags parks SeaWorld Orlando and La Ronde also temporarily closed one coaster apiece utilizing clamshell restraints, with SeaWorld having since reopened its Mako coaster.
  • Six Flags has not specified which other specific coasters will receive seat belts or when the closed rides are expected to reopen.

Who's Mentioned

locationAtlanta“Hometown of the rider”locationCharlotte“Location of a Six Flags park with a closed coaster”PersonBynum“Reporter from Savannah, Georgia”locationVaughan“Location of a Six Flags park with a closed coaster”locationOntario“Province where a Six Flags park is located”locationOhio“State where a Six Flags park is located”locationIllinois“State where a Six Flags park is located”locationNorth Carolina“State where a Six Flags park is located”OrganizationBolliger & Mabillard“Swiss manufacturer of the roller coasters and restraint system”OrganizationSix Flags Entertainment Corporation“Corporate entity operating the theme parks”locationGurnee“Location of a Six Flags park with a closed coaster”locationCanada“Country where La Ronde is located”locationFlorida“Location of SeaWorld Orlando”locationMontreal“Location of La Ronde theme park”OrganizationSeaWorld Orlando“Theme park in Florida that temporarily closed a coaster”locationSavannah“Location of reporter Bynum”locationGeorgia“Location of the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park”locationNew Jersey“State where a Six Flags park is located”OrganizationSix Flags“Theme park operator installing seat belts”locationMason“Location of a Six Flags park with a closed coaster”OrganizationLa Ronde“Theme park in Montreal that temporarily closed a coaster”PersonJohn Reilly“President and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation”PersonHassan Jihad Ibn Kariem“Rider who died on the Goliath coaster”locationJackson Township“Location of a Six Flags park with a closed coaster”