One dead in Georgia Six Flags roller coaster accident

An accident Monday at Six Flags Over Georgia in Austell, Ga., left one person dead and others injured, according to local officials. Detectives with the Cobb County Major Crimes Unit were investigating what happened at the amusement park, according to the county’s board of commissioners.

Six Flags told WORLD it was saddened by the incident and its thoughts were with the guest’s family. It was providing support to the other guests and the team members affected. The company said it was cooperating with local authorities. 

Local news reported that the victim was a man and that the accident occurred on the park’s Goliath roller coaster. The Goliath ride is 200 feet above the ground at its tallest point and reaches speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, according to Six Flags. The man came out of his seat around 4 p.m. and struck the ride several times before falling to his death, the Cobb County Courier reported. Park workers stopped the ride and evacuated passengers in small groups after the accident, the outlet reported.

Six Flags told WORLD that it closed 10 rides similar to Goliath at seven parks across the United States and Canada out of an abundance of caution. It did not have a timeline for reopening.  

The closed rides were:

• Six Flags Over Georgia – Goliath 
• Six Flags Great America – Raging Bull
• Six Flags Magic Mountain – Goliath
• Six Flags Great Adventure – Nitro
• Canada’s Wonderland – Leviathan and Behemoth
• Carowinds – Fury 325 and Thunder Striker
• Kings Island – Orion and Diamondback

The Cobb County police department did not immediately respond to WORLD’s request for further information.