COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The 13-year-old niece of Hassan Kariem told her family she watched Kariem lose consciousness before falling from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
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Joshua Nelson told Channel 2’s Ashlyn Webb his daughter was riding Goliath next to Kariem when she saw what happened.
“Her words were he passed out and then they went up and down,” Nelson said. “She said it went up again and his latch, I guess, snapped or came loose and he fell.”
The account is among the witness statements investigators are expected to review as they work to determine what caused Kariem’s fatal fall.
Veteran theme park consultant Dennis Spiegel is a former chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions who has spent more than 50 years in the amusement industry. Spiegel said it’s too early to know what caused Kariem’s fall.
Spiegel says investigators will likely examine everything — and determine whether this was operator error, rider error, or a failure with the engineering, mechanics or design of the ride.
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“Could something have come loose and broke that allowed that seat bar to come up?” Spiegel said. “They’re looking, did the operator get the seat bar down and properly over the lap of the gentleman.”
According to Spiegel, Goliath uses what is known as a clamshell lap restraint system with multiple locking positions designed to secure riders in place.
“There’s four clicks when it comes down. Click, click, click,” Spiegel said. “And that lets the operator know, the individual who’s running the ride, that it’s secure and in place.”
Spiegel said investigators will also consider the niece’s account that Kariem may have passed out before the fall. When asked whether roller coaster manufacturers account for the possibility of riders losing consciousness, Spiegel said they do.
Nelson, who said he worked at Six Flags as a teenager, questions whether his brother-in-law’s death was preventable.
He said Kariem had battled health issues for years and would avoid rides whenever he needed supplemental oxygen. But this time, Nelson said, his brother-in-law was finally feeling well enough to enjoy the park with family.
“He was like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to go ride the big roller coasters,’” Nelson recalled. “He was just happy to be there.”
Authorities have not released a cause of Kariem’s fall, and the investigation remains ongoing. Investigators are expected to review witness statements, ride operations, maintenance records and the coaster’s restraint system as they work to determine exactly what happened.
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