Six Flags to add seat belts to roller coasters after Georgia rider’s death
Six Flags is adding seat belts to several of its roller coasters after a Georgia man’s fatal fall on a ride that relied on lap restraints to keep passengers in their seats.
The safety overhaul comes less than two weeks after 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Eight other Six Flags coasters with similar restraint systems remain closed across the U.S. and Canada as investigators work to determine what went wrong.
Witnesses said they saw Kariem rise out of his seat and fall headfirst back into the cart before being ejected from the ride on Oct. 12. Some passengers who rode Goliath earlier that day also reported concerns about its restraints.
The restraint system, manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, was designed to give riders the sensation of sitting on a "flying carpet" while still "guaranteeing optimum security," according to a U.S. patent granted to the company in 2001.
Now, Six Flags says it is taking additional precautions.
"We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint," Six Flags Entertainment President and CEO John Reilly said in a statement Friday.
Six Flags has not said which other coasters will get seat belts or when the closed rides might reopen.
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All nine coasters taken out of service were made by Bolliger & Mabillard. Each uses a padded restraint that locks over a rider's lap and upper legs, held in place by a bar between the knees.
Six Flags said it has enlisted independent engineers and inspectors to review safety procedures across its theme parks.
The eight additional roller coasters remain closed at Six Flags parks in Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Ontario, Canada. Goliath also remains shut down as state and local officials investigate Kariem's death.
The fatal incident prompted precautionary closures beyond Six Flags properties.
SeaWorld Orlando temporarily shut down its Mako roller coaster, which uses a similar restraint system, before reopening the ride Tuesday after a weeklong closure. A roller coaster at La Ronde in Montreal was also temporarily closed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.