The Scream Was Meant to Be Followed by Laughter

Amusement parks are built on a simple promise: that the thrill will end safely, that the scream will be followed by laughter, that families will leave with photographs and not with grief. On a Monday afternoon at Six Flags Over Georgia, that promise broke.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old IT manager and father, was riding the Goliath roller coaster on October 12 when he was ejected from the ride and fell, striking other passengers as he descended. Officers working at the park responded around 3:58 p.m. and found Kariem beneath the attraction, unresponsive and not breathing. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

What authorities did not initially disclose was that four juveniles had also been injured. Police have now confirmed that the children were taken to local hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening. Because of their age, police said they would not share additional information about the young passengers.

Kariem was at the park that day to celebrate his niece's birthday. His wife and daughter watched the accident from outside the ride. He had survived cancer and COVID-19, and just weeks earlier, he and his daughter had survived a car fire, according to a family friend who spoke with WSB. Atlanta Public Schools, where Kariem worked, expressed condolences and remembered him as a valued member of the school community.

Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King said his office's regulators had inspected the Goliath roller coaster months before the incident and found no violations. Investigators are working to learn what led to Kariem's death and will continue to review the evidence, equipment, and relevant documentation. The roller coaster, which opened in 2006, reaches speeds of 113 kilometers per hour and heights of 61 meters. Six Flags Over Georgia plans to reopen on Friday, October 16, but the Goliath will remain closed temporarily.

The death is at least the seventh at the Georgia park, including one in 2006 in which a man had a likely heart attack on the Goliath coaster, according to the Doan Law Firm, which tracks amusement park accidents. The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of roller coaster safety after Six Flags Magic Mountain in California announced it was permanently retiring its X2 coaster in September, following a CNN investigation that documented more than a dozen serious injuries and at least two deaths linked to the ride over nearly two decades.

Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said the person's next of kin had been notified and that the amusement park is a major part of the county's tourism. "We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories," she said. The investigation by the Cobb County Police Department's major crimes unit continues.

AI Image Disclaimer: This article's image is AI-generated and does not depict the actual incident or victims involved.

Sources: CBS News, ABC News Australia, Telecinco, Sun Sentinel, CNN