Georgia law and the continuing safety investigation could determine whether the amusement park bears legal responsibility for Hassan Kariem’s death.
MABLETON, Ga. — Six Flags Over Georgia could face legal claims after Atlanta educator Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem fell from the Goliath roller coaster and died, but whether the park would ultimately be held liable may depend on what investigators learn about the ride’s restraints, maintenance and operation.
Kariem, 42, was ejected from the coaster Monday, Oct. 12, according to Cobb County police. Authorities said he struck other patrons before falling below the attraction. Four juveniles were taken to hospitals with injuries that police described as not life-threatening. State regulators and police are now investigating what caused the incident, while Goliath remains closed under a state requirement covering rides involved in fatal or serious accidents.
The legal question is more complicated than whether a fatal accident occurred. Georgia courts have previously held that operators of amusement rides generally owe patrons a duty of ordinary care rather than the heightened duty imposed on common carriers such as buses and trains. In a 1982 Georgia Supreme Court case involving Six Flags, the court ruled that an amusement ride is not a public transportation service and that its operator is subject to an ordinary-care standard.
That standard does not automatically protect a park from liability. Ordinary care generally requires an operator to take reasonable steps to keep patrons safe from hazards it knows about or reasonably should discover. Investigators are expected to examine the condition of Goliath, its restraint system, inspection history, maintenance records and the way employees operated the attraction before Kariem’s death. Evidence showing that a dangerous condition was known or should have been found could become important in any future civil case.
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King said Goliath’s most recent state inspection took place March 16. State officials reported no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags during that inspection. Regulators said they are now conducting a broader review of inspection, permitting and incident records as part of the investigation. A clean inspection months before an accident does not by itself determine whether anyone was negligent on the day of the incident.
Questions about Goliath’s restraint system have become a major focus. The Associated Press reported that a mother said her children rode the coaster about an hour before Kariem’s death and encountered a seat restraint that repeatedly became unlocked. She said her son moved to another seat before the train departed. Other riders have also described concerns about how secure the restraints felt. Six Flags had not publicly confirmed that a restraint malfunction caused Kariem to be ejected, and investigators have not announced an official cause.
Goliath uses a lap restraint rather than an over-the-shoulder harness and does not have a secondary seat belt, according to reporting on the investigation. The coaster, built by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, opened in 2006. It rises about 200 feet at its first hill and reaches speeds of about 70 mph. The manufacturer has said it is investigating the incident and would not comment further until it has a better understanding of what happened.
Six Flags temporarily closed a number of similar roller coasters at other parks after the death. Other amusement parks also halted rides made by the same manufacturer while safety reviews were conducted. The precautionary closures do not establish that the rides are defective, but they show the broader concern surrounding restraint systems as investigators work to determine whether Goliath experienced an equipment failure, an operational problem or another issue.
Assumption of risk could also become part of any legal dispute. Georgia courts have recognized that people who voluntarily ride roller coasters accept certain obvious features of the experience, including speed, sharp movements and forces created by the ride. That principle does not necessarily mean a rider accepts the risk of being ejected because of an unknown defect or negligent operation. Whether a particular danger was inherent, known or reasonably foreseeable would depend on the evidence developed in the case.
Attorney Daniel Adamson, who handles amusement park litigation in Georgia, told the New York Post that a central liability question would be whether someone knew or reasonably should have known about a potential danger before the accident. The investigation could therefore become critical to any lawsuit by establishing whether the ride met required safety standards and whether any warning signs existed before Kariem boarded.
Six Flags has said safety is a high priority and that it is cooperating with authorities. Park officials have described regular inspection schedules for attractions, while state regulators have authority to examine rides and keep them out of service when safety concerns arise. The broader Six Flags Over Georgia park was scheduled to reopen Friday for its regular operations, but Goliath was to remain closed with no announced date for its return.
No government agency has yet concluded that Six Flags, the coaster manufacturer or any employee caused Kariem’s death through negligence. The Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire said Goliath will remain out of service until its investigation is complete and regulators decide whether, and under what conditions, the coaster may operate again.
Author note: Last updated October 16, 2026.