Six Flags Over Georgia reopens amid tensions and questions in the wake of fatal roller coaster incident

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It looked like a typical October evening at Six Flags Over Georgia. The sinking sun cast a golden light over families standing in line for haunted houses and rides. Children shouted, amped up on sugar and adrenaline, while orange leaves crunched under their feet.

Yet behind the amusement park’s ornate entrance gates, it was more than just a fun October evening. Friday marked the park’s reopening after the Monday death of a teacher, who fell from the park’s signature roller coaster, a teal and orange “hypercoaster” called Goliath, a 210-second ride reaching 70 mph and a height of 200 feet, according to the Six Flags website .

His family and the community are still reeling, and many questions remain unanswered after CNN analysis shows Goliath appeared to have passed recent safety inspections despite other alleged maintenance issues and guest injuries at several Six Flags parks.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, an Atlanta resident and “cherished member” of Wesley International Academy, a public charter school, died after falling from the coaster, according to police. Several other parkgoers were injured.

He was at the park with his fiancee and the family of her brother, Joshua Nelson, to celebrate the 13th birthday of one of Nelson’s daughters.

She was sitting next to Kariem on the ride, Nelson said, adding she has been “really strong and resilient” since the incident.

Four minors were injured in the incident, police said, but no further details about their condition will be released because of their age.

Parkgoers told CNN on Friday they started lining up outside the gates around 4:30 p.m. ahead of the park’s 6 p.m. opening. They expressed excitement to participate in annual Fright Fest events including haunted mazes and nighttime roller coaster rides.

One mother who said she visits the park about two or three times per week told CNN she and her children had just finished riding Goliath on Monday evening when she noticed people screaming and running.

She said the incident, while tragic, had no effect on their decision to return.

“It’s Fright Night!” She said, adding she teaches her children not to be “scared of anything.”

Other patrons had similar sentiments. “I feel bad for the family. My heart goes out to them, but you know, accidents happen,” a Texas grandmother told CNN while waiting to enter the park.

One Georgia native said his grandchildren were looking forward to an evening of fall break fun. “They’re concerned, they’re compassionate, but they’re not worried.”

An investigative team is conducting a review of the evidence, equipment and documentation, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King said in a statement Thursday, to determine if state safety requirements were followed.

King is planning to hold a news conference next week with an update, he told CNN.

No investigative findings were released at a Friday news conference held by local authorities, with officials citing the active investigation.

Cobb County Police are assisting park and state officials as they work to determine a possible cause of the incident, according to Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, who said verified information would be shared with the community “when it is appropriate.

“Agencies are still active and need space to do the work without speculation,” Cupid said, emphasizing the importance of Six Flags Over Georgia to the community.

“Our community deserves a fact-based review, a thorough review with clear answers when the responsible agencies are able to give them,” she added.

Sitting at the center of the park, Goliath has been closed since the incident, Cupid confirmed.

As the investigation remains underway, CNN analysis has revealed alleged maintenance issues and guest injuries at several Six Flags parks.

Safety records between 2016 and 2026 reviewed by CNN show Goliath appears to have passed annual state safety inspections.

“Goliath’s most recent OCI inspection occurred on March 16, 2026. No violations, deficiencies, citations, or red tags were reported during that inspection,” King said in a statement Thursday obtained by CNN affiliate WSB .

Records show some issues with Goliath, such as a ride inspection report earlier this year, which noted the bushings on the roller coaster needed replacement. Bushings are components that help reduce vibration, according to WSB.

CNN has reached out to Six Flags to determine where the bushings are located.

Government records reveal mechanical failures, faulty restraint bars and broken bones at Six Flags theme parks

“Safety is at the center of everything we do,” Six Flags said on its website. “Daily inspections are undertaken by park teams, while third parties, including state ride inspectors, insurance inspectors and engineering experts, also regularly evaluate the rides.”

At least 10 roller coasters across six other Six Flags locations in the US and Canada are also closed “out of an abundance of caution” in the wake of Kariem’s death, a Six Flags spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday.

Six Flags Over Georgia remains “focused on supporting those affected and maintaining the safe operation of our park and attractions,” according to a Friday statement from the park’s president. “All other rides and attractions that were scheduled to operate will be available to guests, subject to normal operating conditions and availability.”

Goliath is manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, a Swiss company with a “stellar” safety record, according to Brian Avery, a professor at the University of Florida who specializes in ride safety and risk management.

Bolliger & Mabillard issued a statement calling Monday’s deadly accident “tragic” and offering condolences to those affected.

It said it is investigating but would have no further comment, “until we have a better understanding of what transpired.”

Goliath features a waist restraint but has no over-the-shoulder harness like some other roller coasters –– a secondary restraint Avery believes should be considered.

“If you have your primary fail, what are you left with? Yeah, nothing,” he said. “And it’s an impossible feat to stay contained if it did fail because of the forces, the speed.”

At the news conference, Cupid urged patrons to be “mindful” of the tragedy and communications from the park and the state as they plan their visits.

CNN’s Melanie Hicken, Sneha Dhandapani, Karina Tsui, Isabel Rosales and Julianna Bragg contributed to this report.

Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

佐治亚州六旗乐园的傍晚景色宛如往常十月一般。夕阳西下，金色的光芒洒在排队等候鬼屋和游乐设施的家庭身上。孩子们兴奋地尖叫着，糖分和肾上腺素让他们兴奋不已，脚下踩着橙色的落叶发出沙沙的声响。

然而，在这座游乐园华丽的大门之后，却不仅仅是一个充满乐趣的十月夜晚。周五是该游乐园重新开放的日子，此前周一，一名教师从游乐园的标志性过山车——一座名为“歌利亚”的蓝绿色和橙色“超级过山车”上坠落身亡。据六旗游乐园网站介绍，这座过山车全程210秒，最高时速可达70英里/小时，最高点达200英尺。

他的家人和社区仍然感到震惊，CNN 的分析显示，尽管其他几个六旗公园也存在其他维护问题和游客受伤事件，但“歌利亚”号似乎通过了最近的安全检查，这让许多问题仍然悬而未决。

据警方消息，42岁的亚特兰大居民哈桑·吉哈德·伊本·卡里姆（Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem）从过山车上坠落后身亡。他是韦斯利国际学院（一所公立特许学校）的“受人尊敬的成员”。另有多名游客受伤。

他和未婚妻以及她哥哥约书亚·纳尔逊一家在公园里，庆祝纳尔逊的一个女儿的 13 岁生日。

纳尔逊说，事发时她就坐在卡里姆旁边，他还补充说，自那件事发生以来，她一直“非常坚强和有韧性”。

警方称，事件中有四名未成年人受伤，但由于他们年龄太小，不会公布有关他们伤情的更多细节。

周五，游客们告诉CNN，他们在下午4点半左右就开始在公园大门外排队，公园晚上6点才开门。他们表示很兴奋能参加一年一度的“惊魂节”活动，包括鬼屋迷宫和夜间过山车。

一位母亲告诉 CNN，她每周大约会去公园两到三次，周一晚上她和孩子们刚玩完“歌利亚”过山车，就看到有人尖叫着四处奔跑。

她说，虽然这起事件很悲惨，但并没有影响他们返回的决定。

“今天是恐怖之夜！”她说道，并补充说她教导孩子们不要“害怕任何事”。

其他游客也有类似的感受。“我为这家人感到难过。我非常同情他们，但你知道，意外总是会发生，”一位来自德克萨斯州的祖母在排队等候入园时告诉CNN。

一位佐治亚州本地人说，他的孙辈们很期待度过一个充满秋假乐趣的夜晚。“他们很关心，也很体贴，但他们并不担心。”

佐治亚州保险和消防安全专员约翰·金周四在一份声明中表示，一个调查小组正在对证据、设备和文件进行审查，以确定是否遵守了州安全要求。

金告诉 CNN，他计划下周召开新闻发布会，公布最新情况。

当地政府周五举行的新闻发布会上没有公布任何调查结果，官员们称调查仍在进行中。

据科布县主席丽莎·丘比特称，科布县警方正在协助公园和州政府官员调查这起事件的可能原因。她表示，经核实的信息将在“适当的时候”与社区分享。

“各机构仍在积极开展工作，需要空间来开展工作，而不必进行猜测，”丘比特说道，并强调了佐治亚州六旗乐园对社区的重要性。

她补充说：“我们的社区理应得到基于事实的审查，彻底的审查，以及相关机构在能够给出明确答案时所能提供的答案。”

丘比特证实，位于公园中心的歌利亚过山车自事故发生以来一直处于关闭状态。

调查仍在进行中，CNN 的分析揭露了多家六旗主题公园涉嫌存在维护问题和游客受伤的情况。

CNN查阅了2016年至2026年的安全记录，显示“歌利亚”号似乎通过了年度州安全检查。

“Goliath 最近一次 OCI 检查是在 2026 年 3 月 16 日。在那次检查中没有发现任何违规、缺陷、违规通知或红色标签，”金在周四 CNN 附属电视台 WSB 获得的一份声明中说。

记录显示“歌利亚”过山车存在一些问题，例如今年早些时候的一份游乐设施检查报告指出，过山车的衬套需要更换。据WSB报道，衬套是用于减少振动的部件。

CNN已联系六旗游乐园，以确定衬套的具体位置。

政府记录显示，六旗主题公园存在机械故障、安全杆故障和骨折等问题。

“安全是我们一切工作的核心，”六旗乐园在其网站上表示。“乐园团队每天都会进行安全检查，同时，包括州游乐设施检查员、保险公司检查员和工程专家在内的第三方也会定期对游乐设施进行评估。”

周二，六旗集团发言人告诉 CNN，在卡里姆去世后，出于“高度谨慎”，美国和加拿大其他六个六旗乐园的至少 10 个过山车也已关闭。

据佐治亚州六旗乐园总裁周五发表的声明，乐园仍“专注于为受影响的人们提供支持，并维持乐园及景点的安全运营”。声明还指出，“所有其他原计划开放的游乐设施和景点都将在正常运营条件下向游客开放。”

据佛罗里达大学专门研究游乐设施安全和风险管理的教授布莱恩·艾弗里称，歌利亚是由瑞士公司 Bolliger & Mabillard 制造的，该公司拥有“卓越的”安全记录。

Bolliger & Mabillard 发表声明，称周一发生的致命事故“令人悲痛”，并向受影响的人表示慰问。

声明称正在调查此事，但在“更好地了解事情经过之前”，不会发表进一步评论。

歌利亚过山车配备了腰部安全带，但没有像其他一些过山车那样配备肩部安全带——艾弗里认为应该考虑配备这种辅助安全带。

“如果主武器失效，你还能剩下什么？没错，什么也剩不下了，”他说。“而且，如果真的失效了，由于各种作用力和速度，想要控制住局面几乎是不可能的。”

在新闻发布会上，丘比特敦促游客在计划游览时“留意”这场悲剧以及公园和州政府发布的公告。

美国有线电视新闻网 (CNN) 的 Melanie Hicken、Sneha Dhandapani、Karina Tsui、Isabel Rosales 和 Julianna Bragg 对本报告做出了贡献。