On a Georgia summer's worth of thrill, a man named Kariem, aged 42, rode the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia and, witnesses say, was thrown from it, and in that moment a familiar human bargain between danger and delight was broken. The ride now stands silent while state investigators sift through the machinery, the training halls, and the habits of the people who staff them, asking whether a worn part, a flawed design, or a missed check was the thread that unraveled. It is the oldest question our machines ask of us: whether we trusted enough, or checked enough, and whether the answer can be
Experts Probe Maintenance, Design and Training Questions After Six Flags Georgia Goliath Death
A 42-year-old man died after witnesses say he was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Even a small defect in a bushing can be a major problem.
Mark
Why are people focusing on a note about bushings in a report that found no deficiencies?
Mimi
Because the March report listed no deficiencies but still said staff need to replace bushings. Experts say even a slightly loose or misfit bushing can matter.
Luke
But a person familiar with park operations says those bushings were on the bogie assemblies, not the restraints, and were replaced. That's one unnamed source, though.
Mark
So what do we actually know about how he came out of the seat?
Mimi
Only that witnesses say he was ejected. The mechanism isn't established.
Luke
Right. The mechanical-or-operator explanations are experts' general possibilities, not findings about this ride.
Mark
What about the training claims?
Mimi
Two former employees describe rushed or shortcut training and pressure to keep lines moving. Henderson said she sometimes gave new hires the answers.
Luke
Those accounts are from former employees at the park, and they don't tell us what happened on this ride. The park says its program is multi-stage and thorough.
Mark
And the seat belts?
Mimi
CEO John Reilly said they'll be added to the Goliath and similar coasters.
Luke
That's a commitment, not a finding. It doesn't say what failed.
El Pulso
- A 42-year-old rider is reported ejected from the Goliath, and the 200-foot coaster has been shut down since.
- State fire and safety commissioner John F. King says his investigators are working day and night and will not rush to conclusions.
- A March inspection flagged bushings that needed replacing, while a park source insists they were swapped out and were not part of the restraint system.
- Former staff describe rushed operator training and pressure to fill the ride's most famous seats, raising doubts about whether restraints were properly checked.
- Six Flags CEO John Reilly announces seat belts will be added to the Goliath and similar coasters, as the probe tests what truly failed.
On a Georgia summer's worth of thrill, a man named Kariem, aged 42, rode the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia and, witnesses say, was thrown from it, and in that moment a familiar human bargain between danger and delight was broken. The ride now stands silent while state investigators sift through the machinery, the training halls, and the habits of the people who staff them, asking whether a worn part, a flawed design, or a missed check was the thread that unraveled. It is the oldest question our machines ask of us: whether we trusted enough, or checked enough, and whether the answer can be learned in time to matter.
The Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia has been closed since a 42-year-old man named Kariem died after witnesses say he was ejected from the ride. State investigators are now working through the questions that matter most: was it a maintenance failure, a design flaw, or human error?
John F. King, Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, leads the inquiry and has promised that his team will not cut corners or leave questions unanswered. Six Flags says its thoughts are with the family and that it is cooperating with state authorities and the manufacturer. Its CEO, John Reilly, has since said seat belts will be added to the Goliath and to other coasters with a similar restraint.
The Goliath, opened in 2006, reaches 70 miles per hour and rises 200 feet. Its riders are held by a padded lap bar that operators must confirm is locked before dispatch. Inspection records show a March check that found no deficiencies, though it noted that bushings needed replacing. A park source says those bushings were on the bogie assemblies, not the restraints, and were replaced as recommended.
Former employees paint a picture of strain. One says Goliath crews feel rushed because it is the park's most famous ride, and another says training could take about an hour, with test answers sometimes handed out when the park was busy. Both say they put guest safety first, and both say the pressure was real.
The Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia has been closed since a 42-year-old man named Kariem died after witnesses say he was ejected from the ride. State investigators are now working through the questions that ride inspection experts say will matter most: whether a maintenance problem, a design flaw or human error was to blame.
John F. King, Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, is leading the investigation. In a statement last week, he said his team will not cut corners, rush to conclusions, or leave questions unanswered without making every effort to resolve them. He said investigators have been on the ground day and night. A Six Flags spokesperson said the company's thoughts remain with the family and loved ones, and that it is supporting the investigations alongside state authorities and the ride manufacturer. In a follow-up statement Friday, Six Flags CEO John Reilly said seat belts will be added to the Goliath and to other coasters with a similar restraint.
The Goliath opened in 2006. It reaches speeds of up to 70 miles per hour on a track that rises 200 feet, and it was designed by the Swiss-based manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard. Six Flags has opened five Goliath coasters across North America in the last 25 years. Riders are buckled into its 36 seats with a padded clamshell lap bar, a U-shaped restraint typically locked over the thighs and waist. Operators are supposed to check that each restraint is locked before the ride starts. Ride operators and engineers told CBS News that an ejection suggests a mechanical malfunction, an operator error such as failing to properly check and secure a restraint, or a combination of the two.
One operator of a Goliath at another park, who goes by Daniel and asked that his last name be withheld because he is still employed, described how the controls work. Staff likely use two orange buttons to open and close the restraints. When sensors detect that every restraint is closed, two green mushroom-shaped buttons start blinking, and operators can then dispatch the train.
Inspection records obtained by CBS News going back more than a decade show 20 quickly resolved violations between 2016 and 2021, and none since. King said a March inspection found no deficiencies, though the report included a note that staff "need to replace bushings." Bushings reduce friction and absorb shock in mechanical assemblies. Troy Richardson, an engineer who has built and inspected coasters and heads MIT Experts, said even a slightly off bushing can matter, and that investigators will ask whether staff followed the manufacturer's replacement schedule. A person familiar with park operations said those bushings were on the bogie assemblies, which connect the vehicle to the track, not the restraint system, and were replaced as recommended. Kathryn Woodcock, a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said investigators will want to know what is not as expected, and that two parts coming apart is different from one part breaking.
The second line of inquiry is staffing. Six Flags operates nearly three dozen parks, and SEC filings show more than 47 million guests and 95,000 employees in 2025. The company says every ride is inspected and documented before opening each day and that operators complete a multi-stage training program. Former employees at the Georgia park describe pressure. Jacobi Edwards, 18, a ride operations lead last spring, called the park well run but said Goliath crews feel rushed because it is the park's most famous ride. He said he put guest safety ahead of squeezing in more cycles.
Harper Henderson, 18, started at the park at 15 and became a trainer at 17, after six weeks as an operator. She said training could be done in about an hour, and that when rides were busy she sometimes gave new hires the test answers, making them ready to work in 15 minutes. CBS News reviewed operator quizzes for two other rides, Georgia Scorcher and Log Jamboree. Henderson said managers pushed for the minimum number of people to open each ride, and she resigned in July 2025.
Attorney Timothy Loranger, who represented the family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died after riding X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2022, said the maintenance workers he spoke to did not seem adequately trained. That case was settled, and X2 closed permanently in September. The Goliath remains closed while investigators work.
Citas Notables
Investigators will not cut corners, rush to conclusions, or leave questions unanswered without making every effort to resolve them.— John F. King, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
Former operator Harper Henderson said she sometimes gave new hires the test answers when rides were busy.— Harper Henderson, former Six Flags Over Georgia employee
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