CBC News (cbc.ca)

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        "text": "A 42-year-old man killed while riding a roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride, police said Tuesday."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Visitors to the Atlanta-area park watched in horror as he fell out of the coaster Monday, prompting Six Flags to temporarily close nine similar roller-coasters countrywide."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Investigators and park officials have not said how he ended up coming out of his seat."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"It was horrific to watch,\" said Summer Bates, who was at the park with her husband and three children. \"One thing I think that will stick with us is the sound of his body coming down.\""
      },
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        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Bates said she and her family rode the Goliath roller-coaster earlier in the day. The park's tallest coaster, which towers over its entrance at 61 metres, has lap bar restraints that pull down over the riders' legs and waist. There are no seat belts."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"My older two children rode on the cart ahead of us,\" she said. \"I noticed they kept trying to push theirs down tighter. I assured them that they were OK. But once my husband, youngest child and I loaded our cart and headed up the incline, I quickly understood why my older two were messing with theirs. It just didn't feel secure and tight.\""
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "The man who died was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police. Officials have not released any other information about those who were injured when they were struck by the man."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Kariem worked as the information technology manager at a public charter school in Atlanta and before that was the school's technology teacher, according to an online resume."
      },
      {
        "tag": "h2",
        "text": "Witness describes seeing man come out of his seat"
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Logan Conner said he was on the Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"The man started levitating in the air sideways,\" he told NBC. \"We made direct eye contact with him.\""
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "WATCH | 1 dead, several injured in U.S. roller-coaster incident:"
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Britny Landry had been on the ride earlier Monday and was waiting in line to go again. She could see part of the Goliath track."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"We just look, and I just see somebody fly out,\" she told KTVU-TV. She said she wasn't sure if that's what she saw at first. \"Maybe somebody had a bag or something.\""
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Investigators say they spoke with park visitors and employees who saw what happened in the incident Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia in Mableton, about 24 kilometres northwest of Atlanta."
      },
      {
        "tag": "h2",
        "text": "Coasters closed in Canada and U.S."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Nine roller-coasters at six North American parks that are similar to the coaster in Georgia were closed \"out of an abundance of caution,\" according to a Six Flags Entertainment Corporation spokesperson, who said staff members and local authorities responded immediately and the park is co-operating with the investigation."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today,\" the spokesperson said, adding that the company is providing support to guests and staff who were impacted."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "CBC News has confirmed that the list of nine rides includes the Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, north of Toronto. A park spokesperson said it did not have a timeline for when the rides might be available again."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Canada's Wonderland is open to the public for 12 more Halloween-themed evenings and weekends until it closes for the winter."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Montreal's La Ronde amusement park said it was temporarily shutting down its Goliath roller-coaster until an update is received from the manufacturer of the ride. La Ronde was a Six Flags property until this spring, when the park's purchase by EPR Properties was finalized."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Authorities and Six Flags did not identify the roller-coaster at the Georgia location. However, local TV stations showed video of passengers being evacuated from the Goliath coaster."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "The roller-coaster, which was opened in 2006, reaches top speeds of about 113 km/h and heights of 61 metres, the park's website reports. During about 3½ minutes, riders \"navigate through razor-sharp turns and soar over colossal hills,\" according to the website."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"I cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one,\" Lisa Cupid, chair of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement. She added that next of kin have been notified."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "The amusement park is a major part of the county's tourism and brings in visitors from across the southeast, Cupid said."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "\"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."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees ride inspections, is \"conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review,\" said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson. The park was already scheduled to be closed Tuesday."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "This death would be 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 focuses on amusement park accidents."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "It also comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain, in Southern California, announced that it is retiring its famous X2 roller-coaster amid lawsuits alleging serious brain injury caused by the ride. The park had settled one wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022."
      },
      {
        "tag": "p",
        "text": "Last year, a 32-year-old man died after riding a high-speed roller-coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida. He died from blunt impact injuries, and his death was ruled accidental."
      }
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    "text": "A 42-year-old man killed while riding a roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride, police said Tuesday.\n\nVisitors to the Atlanta-area park watched in horror as he fell out of the coaster Monday, prompting Six Flags to temporarily close nine similar roller-coasters countrywide.\n\nInvestigators and park officials have not said how he ended up coming out of his seat.\n\n\"It was horrific to watch,\" said Summer Bates, who was at the park with her husband and three children. \"One thing I think that will stick with us is the sound of his body coming down.\"\n\nBates said she and her family rode the Goliath roller-coaster earlier in the day. The park's tallest coaster, which towers over its entrance at 61 metres, has lap bar restraints that pull down over the riders' legs and waist. There are no seat belts.\n\n\"My older two children rode on the cart ahead of us,\" she said. \"I noticed they kept trying to push theirs down tighter. I assured them that they were OK. But once my husband, youngest child and I loaded our cart and headed up the incline, I quickly understood why my older two were messing with theirs. It just didn't feel secure and tight.\"\n\nThe man who died was 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, according to Cobb County police. Officials have not released any other information about those who were injured when they were struck by the man.\n\nKariem worked as the information technology manager at a public charter school in Atlanta and before that was the school's technology teacher, according to an online resume.\n\nWitness describes seeing man come out of his seat\n\nLogan Conner said he was on the Goliath with his fiancée when he saw the man come out of his seat.\n\n\"The man started levitating in the air sideways,\" he told NBC. \"We made direct eye contact with him.\"\n\nWATCH | 1 dead, several injured in U.S. roller-coaster incident:\n\nBritny Landry had been on the ride earlier Monday and was waiting in li… [3,563 more characters]"
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  "byline": "The Associated Press",
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  "corrections": [
    {
      "at": "2026-10-13T17:39:03.920Z",
      "at_ms": 1791913143920,
      "text": "An earlier version of this story said Six Flags Over Georgia was located in Austell, Ga. In fact, the amusement park is located in Mableton, Ga."
    }
  ],
  "deck": "Montreal's La Ronde, until recently a Six Flags park, temporarily shut its Goliath ride",
  "description": "A 42-year-old man killed while riding a roller-coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was thrown from his seat and struck other patrons before landing below the ride, police said Tuesday.",
  "editorial_source": "With files from CBC News",
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  "published_at": "2026-10-13T03:03:47.856Z",
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    {
      "title": "Amusement ride accidents are spectacular, but experts say they're rare",
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      "url": "https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/amusement-ride-safety-canada-us-1.4224353"
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  "title": "Roller-coaster fatality in Georgia leads to temporary closure of 3 rides at Canadian parks",
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