🚨🎢 EXPERT EXPLAINS HOW A FATAL ROLLER COASTER EJECTION COULD HAPPEN — NEW QUESTIONS EMERGE AFTER GEORGIA SIX FLAGS TRAGEDY

Posted by hoangduc - October 19, 2026

PEOPLE spoke to Brian Avery, an amusement ride safety expert and professor, about the fatal incident at Six Flags Over Georgia in which a rider fell from the Goliath roller coaster

Hᴀssan Jihad Kariem, 4: In this aerial view, The train of the Goliath roller coaster is seen on the track where it was evacuated at Six Flags over Georgia

Hᴀssan Jihad Ibn Kariem; the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

While an investigation into the fatal accident at Six Flags Over Georgia earlier this week is ongoing, a theme park ride safety expert is breaking down the possible factors that could potentially contribute to a tragedy such as this one.

On Monday, Oct. 12, 42-year-old Hᴀssan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a father and educator, was “ejected” from the Goliath roller coaster at the Austell, Ga., amusement park.

Since then, the Georgia Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety (OCI) has been working “around the clock” to investigate the circumstances that led to the rider’s death. The Cobb County Police Department is also leading a law enforcement investigation.

As the agencies work to determine the cause of the tragedy, PEOPLE spoke to amusement ride safety expert and University of Florida professor Brian Avery about how an incident similar to this one could possibly occur — and how the amusement industry can learn from it to make rides safer.

In this aerial view, The train of the Goliath roller coaster is seen on the track where it was evacuated at Six Flags over Georgia on October 14, 2026 in Austell, Georgia — The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Even as an industry authority who’s been involved in “several hundred legal matters,” including as an “expert witness,” throughout his career, Avery says this specific incident still left him “in disbelief.” While weighing the possible causes behind an accident like this, he says the ejection likely stemmed from a “failure in some capacity, whether it’s operational, maintenance or design-related.”

“Obviously, you’re looking from an operational perspective and trying to determine: Was there an operational gap? Was there a misunderstanding of the ride device?” Avery says.

Additionally, he questions whether there could have been a “maintenance factor in this,” such as a failed inspection process to indicate that there was an issue.

Per investigators, Goliath had undergone its annual investigation 7 months before the accident and no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags were reported at the time, PEOPLE previously reported. Stationary rides in the state of Georgia must be inspected by OCI before initially opening to the public and then once a year after that.

He continues, “Was there some sort of catastrophic failure where no evidence was revealed? That, let’s say, a mechanism for failure existed and unfortunately wasn’t caught or understood until after this incident actually resulted?” Another aspect of the ride mechanism that “maybe failed because it wasn’t engaged at some level” could also be a factor.

“But those are all things that need to be investigated and identified as the actual cause, as opposed to speculating about what might’ve happened,” he emphasizes. “Because as we move forward, we need to make sure that all the equipment is in the condition to provide a safe ride each and every time for every rider.”

Close-up sH๏τ of the seats and restraints on the Goliath coaster.

Avery also notes he’s an advocate for secondary safety restraints on rides.

In the case of the Goliath coaster — a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, which reaches speeds of up to 70 mph — “there’s only one restraint: a clamshell-type device that sits on the thigh and rests on the stomach,” he explains. “There’s no safety belt outside of that. In the event that the primary fails and the redundant systems in it fail, there’s no secondary to keep you contained. I’m not saying it would be a perfect outcome, but at least you’re contained.”

The Goliath is currently closed indefinitely as the OCI continues its investigation, but Six Flags Over Georgia reopened as planned on Friday, Oct. 16. Under Georgia law, any ride involved in a fatality or serious injury must remain out of service until the OCI has completed a full investigation.

Six Flags temporarily closed 9 other roller coasters at its parks across the country following the incident, which Avery says “could be precautionary, or it could be that they identified something almost immediately that was a concern.”

The tragedy that occurred this past Monday will hopefully lead to better safety regulations at amusement parks moving forward, Avery says. “After these types of incidents, the industry will make change,” he continues. “They’re going to reᴀssess and will develop new policies, procedures and standards to ensure that we identify what this was so it doesn’t happen ever again.”

The train of the Goliath roller coaster is seen on the track where it was evacuated at Six Flags over Georgia — The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Even as an industry authority who’s been involved in “several hundred legal matters,” including as an “expert witness,” throughout his career, Avery says this specific incident still left him “in disbelief.” While weighing the possible causes behind an accident like this, he says the ejection likely stemmed from a “failure in some capacity, whether it’s operational, maintenance or design-related.”

“Obviously, you’re looking from an operational perspective and trying to determine: Was there an operational gap? Was there a misunderstanding of the ride device?” Avery says.

Additionally, he questions whether there could have been a “maintenance factor in this,” such as a failed inspection process to indicate that there was an issue.

Per investigators, Goliath had undergone its annual investigation 7 months before the accident and no violations, deficiencies, citations or red tags were reported at the time, PEOPLE previously reported. Stationary rides in the state of Georgia must be inspected by OCI before initially opening to the public and then once a year after that.

He continues, “Was there some sort of catastrophic failure where no evidence was revealed? That, let’s say, a mechanism for failure existed and unfortunately wasn’t caught or understood until after this incident actually resulted?” Another aspect of the ride mechanism that “maybe failed because it wasn’t engaged at some level” could also be a factor.

“But those are all things that need to be investigated and identified as the actual cause, as opposed to speculating about what might’ve happened,” he emphasizes. “Because as we move forward, we need to make sure that all the equipment is in the condition to provide a safe ride each and every time for every rider.”

Close-up sH๏τ of the seats and restraints on the Goliath coaster.

Avery also notes he’s an advocate for secondary safety restraints on rides.

In the case of the Goliath coaster — a 200-foot-tall hypercoaster designed by Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, which reaches speeds of up to 70 mph — “there’s only one restraint: a clamshell-type device that sits on the thigh and rests on the stomach,” he explains. “There’s no safety belt outside of that. In the event that the primary fails and the redundant systems in it fail, there’s no secondary to keep you contained. I’m not saying it would be a perfect outcome, but at least you’re contained.”

The Goliath is currently closed indefinitely as the OCI continues its investigation, but Six Flags Over Georgia reopened as planned on Friday, Oct. 16. Under Georgia law, any ride involved in a fatality or serious injury must remain out of service until the OCI has completed a full investigation.

Six Flags temporarily closed 9 other roller coasters at its parks across the country following the incident, which Avery says “could be precautionary, or it could be that they identified something almost immediately that was a concern.”

The tragedy that occurred this past Monday will hopefully lead to better safety regulations at amusement parks moving forward, Avery says. “After these types of incidents, the industry will make change,” he continues. “They’re going to reᴀssess and will develop new policies, procedures and standards to ensure that we identify what this was so it doesn’t happen ever again.”

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PEOPLE spoke to Brian Avery, an amusement ride safety expert and professor, about the fatal incident at Six Flags Over Georgia in which a rider fell from…

🚨🎢 EXPERT EXPLAINS HOW A FATAL ROLLER COASTER EJECTION COULD HAPPEN — NEW QUESTIONS EMERGE AFTER GEORGIA SIX FLAGS TRAGEDY

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