Dad who died after falling from Six Flags over Georgia rollercoaster named as beloved teacher

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem had attended the theme park with his family before tragedy struck

A much-loved dad who died after a horror fall from a rollercoaster has been named as a teacher.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, from Atlanta, has been identified as the man who suffered the tragic incident on the Goliath ride at the theme park while with his son.

He appeared to come loose from the ride on Monday (12 October) before a man was later confirmed to have died. No further details about what happened have yet been confirmed.

The Goliath roller coaster, which is one of the largest rides at the Six Flags over Georgia park, was evacuated following the major incident.

Footage showed people being removed and walking off the ride, with people seen being helped down a stairway attached to the ride’s lift hill.

Now, the man involved in the incident has been identified as 42-year-old dad Hassan, who was a teacher in Atlanta.

He is said to have fallen to the ground after coming out of his seat in the carriage. According to reports, he had also visited the park with his daughter and wife.

As per 11Alive, his grief-stricken family described him as a 'passionate educator' from metro Atlanta who 'loved his city'.

In a statement shared with LADbible on Monday, a spokesperson from Six Flags Over Georgia said: "We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today.

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

"Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time."

And, a spokesperson for the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation meanwhile told The Associated Press that rollercoasters similar to the one involved in the accident have been closed 'out of an abundance of caution' at a number of their parks.

The spokesperson also said that the park is cooperating with the investigation into the incident.

“We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today,” the spokesperson added.

Goliath, which opened back in 2006, takes park visitors on a 70-mile-per-hour ride and stretches up to 200 feet into the air, according to the Six Flags Over Georgia website.

Witnesses from the park have since revealed the moment the ride was stopped and emergency services descended on the area.

Speaking to 11Alive, one visitor explained: "We were ascending up, and that is when we heard the screams. Then we looked down and saw people running and panicking.

"As soon as that happened, we got stuck. We didn't know if it was a problem with ours [carriage] or something else.

"That stopped and we were stuck up there for more than an hour. As we were going up, the carriage behind us, that has to be the one, because that's where everyone was running to.

"We were all obviously concerned, we saw the ambulances come and everyone running over to our rollercoaster, but the worst part was just being up there for an hour with no updates, no news, nothing."

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens released a statement following the tragedy, to say city officials were 'deeply saddened' by the incident and that police were also involved.

"Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the individual’s family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time," the statement continued.

"Mableton Public Safety Director Dr. Kerry Stallings is coordinating with Cobb County Police and park security as the situation is addressed. We are grateful to the personnel responding to this incident and will continue to support coordination with the appropriate authorities."

James is a multi award-winning Senior Journalist working for LADbible with a passion for telling human interest stories and delving into investigations. Previously working for regional news brands, James has covered some of the biggest national and international stories including major exclusives.

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