‘His blood splattered over everybody’: US man dies after falling from roller coaster ride

 A 42-year-old man died after reportedly falling off the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

A 42-year-old man died after being thrown from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta, with witnesses saying he struck other riders before falling to the ground, the Associated Press reported.The deceased was identified as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, an Atlanta resident, by Cobb County police. According to news agency AP, authorities said multiple people were injured but did not provide details about their injuries or conditions. The department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the incident.Witnesses told local media that the incident occurred on Goliath, a roller coaster that reaches speeds of around 70 mph and rises to a height of about 200 feet. The ride was temporarily halted following the incident, with passengers seen being evacuated and walking down a steep incline.‘His blood splattered over everybody’: Witnesses recount horrorA woman who was at the park told Atlanta-based news outlet 11Alive that she saw the man fall from the ride and hit another passenger.“A man fell off the Goliath ride,” she said, adding that he struck a girl sitting two rows ahead of her near the point where photographs are taken during the ride.She said the man hit the roller coaster car several times before falling. “His blood splattered over everybody, and his body fell behind one of the haunted attractions,” she told 11Alive.The woman said passengers were made to wait for some time before they were allowed to exit the ride.Another witness, Logan Conner, who was riding Goliath with his fiancée, described seeing the man come out of his seat.“The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he told NBC. “We made direct eye contact with him.”Another couple who witnessed the incident said the roller coaster struck the man several times before he was thrown from the ride.“It went from having a great time to just screaming, ‘Oh my God, what is happening,'” the woman said, describing the sudden shift from excitement to panic.Nine similar roller coasters shut as precautionSix Flags Entertainment Corp. temporarily shut nine similar roller coasters across six amusement parks in North America following the incident, citing an abundance of caution.The rides include Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island.A company spokesperson said park staff and local authorities responded immediately and that the company was cooperating with the investigation.“We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today,” the spokesperson said, adding that support was being provided to affected visitors and employees.The park was already scheduled to be closed on Tuesday. Six Flags has not announced when the temporarily suspended rides will reopen.Goliath, which opened in 2006, features a drop of more than 200 feet and reaches speeds of around 70 mph, according to the park’s website.Death follows safety concerns over another Six Flags rideThe fatal incident comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain in California announced the permanent retirement of its X2 roller coaster following lawsuits alleging that riders had suffered serious brain injuries.The ride, which features rotating seats, a 215-foot drop and multiple flips, had been closed since July 12. One lawsuit involved a rider who allegedly suffered a catastrophic brain injury, while the park also settled a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a 22-year-old man who died after riding X2 in 2022.The latest incident has prompted fresh scrutiny of roller coaster safety as authorities investigate what caused Kariem to fall from the Goliath ride.