Six Flags shuts down iconic California roller coaster after horror death in Georgia park

California’s iconic Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles County has been temporarily shut down after a deadly incident at another Six Flags park in Georgia on Monday.

The Cobb County Police Department in Atlanta said one person died and several others were injured in the incident.

Police identified the man who died as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42. Witnesses told investigators that Kariem was thrown from the ride, striking other parkgoers before falling beneath the attraction.

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Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

A witness told WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Atlanta, that “a man fell off the Goliath ride. He hit a girl two rows in front of us on the Goliath ride right where the pictures are taken.”

A Six Flags spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones. We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected,” the spokesperson told CBS.

“The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation.”

A Magic Mountain spokesperson told CBS there is no timeline for when Goliath in Valencia, Southern California will reopen.

Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain towers 235 feet above the park and sends riders plunging down a 255-foot drop into an underground tunnel, according to the company’s website.

The high-speed ride reaches speeds of up to 85 mph and features a series of steep turns and spirals.

The company has also temporarily shut down nine similar rides across six of its parks as a precaution.

Follow live updates on dad’s tragic roller coaster death at Six Flags Over Georgia

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks,” the spokesperson said. “The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities.”

The closure comes just weeks after Magic Mountain permanently retired its X2 roller coaster in late September following claims from more than 100 riders that the attraction caused catastrophic brain injuries.

In September, a 25-year-old woman was on a ventilator two months after she allegedly suffered a catastrophic brain injury.

Naomi Greer-Wilkinson was seen in photos surrounded by medical equipment, a breathing tube running from a tracheostomy in her neck, while another image showed her wearing a cervical collar.

Her parents, Artemis Greer and Joshua Wilkinson, say their daughter had been fighting to recover since she collapsed after going on the ride at the Southern California theme park in July, the Daily Mail reported.

The family alleged the ride caused a severe traumatic brain injury that left Greer-Wilkinson in a coma and requiring emergency brain surgery.

Doctors who treated Greer-Wilkinson and another woman injured on the ride told CNN that the brain injuries were the result of a “traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event” experienced while riding X2. 

Greer-Wilkinson was injured just six days after Pamela Guillen suffered a similar medical emergency on the same coaster while celebrating her daughter Camille Marquez’s 16th birthday.

Guillen said she became confused and disoriented after getting off X2 and later woke up in a hospital, where she learned she had undergone emergency surgery for a brain bleed.

“I remember seeing the fear in my daughter’s eyes and how scared she was,” Guillen said.

Lawsuits filed by riders raised concerns about the coaster’s design, alleging that Six Flags and ride manufacturer S&S Worldwide relied on outdated testing and maintenance practices.

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