Cobb County

Six Flags death: Man survived car fire weeks before roller coaster death

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A family friend is describing a man who died falling from a Six Flags Over Georgia roller coaster as a fighter.

Hassan Kariem, 42, died on Monday after being ejected from Goliath. Witnesses described the scene as something out of a horror movie.

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Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell spoke to a family friend who says the Atlanta Public Schools educator has had many battles in his past.

She says Kariem was a cancer survivor and survived a tough battle with COVID-19. And just weeks ago, she says Kariem and his daughter survived a car fire.

Kariem died on Monday at the Six Flags Over Georgia theme park. Police say Kariem fell from the ride and hit several other riders before landing beneath it.

Channel 2 Action News reported that four people were taken to the hospital.

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The ride was stopped after the incident, and NewsChopper 2 saw riders being evacuated from one of the carts.

Six Flags Over Georgia remains closed because of the offseason schedule and is expected to reopen on Friday.

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