A 42-year-old man who had twice survived cancer has died after falling from a rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. The accident has shocked the community and led the company to close similar rides across the country.
Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was riding the Goliath coaster with his stepson when the tragedy happened. His wife and stepdaughter were watching from the ground below. Emergency services rushed to the park in Austell after 911 calls reported that someone had fallen from the ride, one of the tallest coasters in the state.
What witnesses saw
According to eyewitnesses, Hassan fell backward out of his seat. He struck the track several times on the way down before landing on the roof of a haunted house beneath the ride. The coaster’s onboard cameras, which normally take souvenir photos for guests to buy, recorded the moment he fell.
Others were hurt as well. One woman said he hit her and her father as he fell and covered them in blood. Some witnesses said he seemed to "lock eyes" with them as he dropped. Another guest described the panic, saying they had been having a great time before everyone started screaming.
A Reddit user who said they were next in line described the train pulling into the station. The riders were distressed, they wrote, and the man seated beside Hassan was screaming that the person next to him had fallen out.
A man who had already beaten the odds
Hassan’s family told local media that he was a two-time lymphoma survivor. Only three weeks earlier, he and his 10-year-old stepdaughter had come through a car accident that destroyed the vehicle. Both walked away without injury.
He worked as a technology teacher at Wesley International Academy and loved rollercoasters. His cousin, Geo Ashe, said Hassan adored children. He had no biological kids, Ashe explained, but his stepdaughter was his daughter and had been with him since she was two or three years old.
The response
The ride and the whole park were evacuated after the fall. Detectives from the Cobb County Police Department’s major crimes unit have opened an investigation. A Six Flags spokesperson said staff and local authorities responded quickly and that the park is cooperating fully.
On the Monday after the death, the company temporarily closed nine rollercoasters across six of its parks. The spokesperson said the rides, which are similar to the one in Austell, were shut "out of an abundance of caution." The company said it was deeply saddened and is supporting affected guests and employees.
According to the park’s website, Goliath opened in 2006. It reaches 70 mph (113 kph) and stands 200 feet (61 meters) tall.
Where things stand
Hassan’s relatives have been told of his death, Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, confirmed. She said she could not imagine the horror that guests and staff had witnessed. She added that the county was struggling to understand how something so devastating could happen at a place that had given generations of families happy memories.
For now, the investigation continues and the similar rides remain closed, while a family mourns a devoted stepfather who had already survived so much.
Image credit: Kariem Family
Source: Daily Express US
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