Family of American who died on Six Flags ride questions whether death was preventable | Georgia

The family of a man who was thrown from a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park in Georgia and died has publicly questioned whether his death could have been avoided.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta alongside his niece during a family trip to celebrate her birthday when he was thrown from the ride. His niece witnessed her uncle’s death, a relative told Atlanta ABC News affiliate WSB-TV.

“A big part of me believes, you know, it was a freak accident, but the other part of me wonders…could this have been avoided? Joshua Nelson, Kariem’s ​​brother-in-law, told the outlet.

Nelson, whose daughter sat next to Kariem, shared her account of the terrifying moments leading up to her uncle’s death.

“She said he passed out or died – her words were ‘he passed out,’” Nelson said. “And then they went up and down, up and down, up and down – and she said it went up again and its latch, I guess, broke or came loose and it fell,” Nelson remarked.

During the family celebration outing, Kariem had expressed excitement about riding the Goliath, which was one of her favorite rides, according to Nelson.

Nelson said he hoped Kariem would not feel pain during her final moments.

Kariem was an educator and father of a 10-year-old daughter. According to Atlanta Public Schools, Kariem began his career at Wesley International Academy as a technology teacher before being promoted to information technology manager.

As of Friday evening, Georgia authorities were still investigating the circumstances of Kariem’s ​​death at Six Flags Over Georgia, which opened Friday evening for the first time since the incident. The Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit began an investigation.

Since Kariem’s ​​death, Six Flags has temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six theme parks in the United States.

Deaths like Kariem’s ​​are rare. But his death prompted some to call for federal oversight of amusement parks, which in the United States has been left to each state, as The New York Times reported.