Roller coaster rider’s death at Six Flags draws attention to theme park safety

The horrible death of a man who was ejected from Six Flags roller coaster in Georgia is calling attention to the safety of amusement park rides, which have become increasingly faster and steeper in their quest for the greatest thrill.

Anyway, dead on roller coasters are still extremely rare, and Georgia officials have said little about what happened Monday when Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was thrown from his seat while riding the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia before hitting other patrons and then landing underneath the ride.

Goliath uses a steep 200-foot (61-meter) drop to reach top speeds of 70 mph (112 km/h) and focuses on speed and descents rather than flipping riders upside down through loops or corkscrews. It has been operating in the park for two decades.

Six flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters across North America after the death, saying he did so out of an abundance of caution.

Ride maker Bolliger & Mabillard said it was “actively investigating the incident and will not make any further comment until we have a better understanding of what happened.”

The United States has a patchwork of rules regarding rides

In the United States, roller coasters and other rides at major amusement parks such as Six Flags are not regulated by the federal government. This responsibility lies with States.

Some say this has led to an inconsistent patchwork of rules, in which some states have strict regulations and others have little or no oversight.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has repeatedly introduced legislation aimed at closing what he calls a “loophole” in federal law that allows U.S. safety officials to regulate mobile rides but prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from overseeing stationary rides like those at large amusement parks.

Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor and ride safety expert, agrees that more federal regulations are needed.

“Who is monitoring the members of these organizations to make sure that they are properly trained, that they are compliant, that they are monitoring these rides to the level that the standards have been set?” » said Avery.

The Georgia Bureau of Insurance and Fire Safety, which oversees annual inspections of rides in the state, is “conducting a thorough and comprehensive review” of what happened Monday at Six Flags, said Garrison Bennett, a spokesman.

The amusement park industry has established its own safety standards

Amusement park operators around the world generally adhere to what are called ASTM standards established by industry experts, which cover everything from ride design and construction to the acceleration and force each rider is allowed to experience.

The industry has several layers of inspection, said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant and former president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a trade group. Park operators are under pressure from insurance companies who could have to pay hefty sums if something goes wrong.

“With the checks and balances that are put in place, theme parks are truly one of the safest places on the planet,” he said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The trade group said the risk of being seriously injured on a ride at a U.S. amusement park is 1 in 15.5 million rides.

Martin Lewinson, a roller coaster expert and professor at Farmingdale State College, said it’s hard to imagine there being a mechanical malfunction on a roller coaster like Goliath because of its design.

The ride has a flip-up restraint system, called a “clamshell,” that works with a ratchet mechanism that makes clicks when you press it down on your hips. These have multiple drives to provide redundancy in the event of a failure, Lewinson said.

“They’re reliable. They’re not technically advanced to the point where theme parks have difficulty operating,” Lewinson said.

The operator then has a safety system that displays a green “Go” light for each seat on the train before it can be dispatched. The train theoretically should not be allowed to move forward unless all restraints are locked, Lewinson said.

But few things are 100% certain.

In 2022, a 14-year-old Missouri boy fell to death from a ride at an Orlando amusement park when the harness did not latch properly due to its size. In 2013, a 52-year-old Dallas woman was killed when she slipped from her seat on the Texas Giant ride at Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags has since added redesigned restraint bar cushions, seat belts and a roller coaster seat at the ride entrance so guests can check before riding whether they fit safely into the cars.

Nick Mendenhall, who has ridden the Goliath more than a dozen times in recent weeks, said he saw Six Flags staff checking the restraints every time he rode it.

“There are two employees, one on each side of the train, and with their hands they push down and make sure it locks every time. I’ve never seen them not do it,” Mendenhall said.

States handle surveillance in different ways

In California, the state Department of Industrial Relations approves new and modified rides. State officials directly inspect them and verify their operation each year, or rely on an annual inspection by the owner, according to the department’s website.

In contrast, Florida’s largest theme parks are exempt from state safety inspections, while smaller venues and fairs are not. Instead, larger theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols, but they must report any injuries or deaths to the state. Texas similarly relies on inspections by private inspectors hired by park operators or their insurance companies.

Arizona, where Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is ​​located, has no state-level agency that regulates amusement park rides or conducts safety inspections. The law requires an annual private inspection, enforcement of which is largely the responsibility of local government.