A day at Six Flags Over Georgia ended in tragedy Monday afternoon, and the fallout is now reaching parks across the country.

What happened

Cobb County police say the incident happened around 3:58 p.m. Monday, October 12, on Goliath, the park’s 200-foot hypercoaster. Witnesses told Atlanta’s WXIA they saw a man fall from the ride. According to WSB-TV, officials confirmed one guest died and four others were hurt.

The witness accounts are hard to read. A couple riding Goliath told WXIA they watched the man strike the coaster three times as he fell. Another rider said he landed on a girl two rows ahead of her, and that he appeared to be riding with his son while his wife and daughter watched from the ground. An onlooker told WXIA the man came down on the roof of a haunted house attraction below the ride. One woman waiting in line told CNN that when the train returned to the station, a seat was empty and its safety bar was loose, and another young rider appeared injured and covered in blood.

The train behind it stopped on a steep hill. WXIA aerial video showed those riders being walked down an emergency stairway along the track around 5 p.m., and CBS News Atlanta cameras captured the same evacuation from Goliath’s biggest hill. The park closed for the rest of the day.

The investigation

As of Tuesday morning, the man has not been publicly identified, and no cause has been released. Cobb County’s Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation, and Cobb Commission Chair Lisa Cupid called it “a terrible tragedy” in a statement. Parade reports that state inspectors joined detectives at the ride Monday evening and that maintenance logs are being reviewed. In its statement, Six Flags said it is cooperating fully with local authorities and supporting the guests and employees affected. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also offered condolences to the family and to everyone who was injured or saw what happened.

Nine coasters closed at six other parks

Within hours, Six Flags temporarily shut down rides similar to Goliath, saying it acted “out of an abundance of caution.” According to WSB-TV and the Associated Press, these are the coasters now closed:

• Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America (Illinois)
• Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain (California)
• Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey)
• Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada’s Wonderland (Ontario)
• Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds (North Carolina)
• Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island (Ohio)

Kings Island told reporters there is no timeline for reopening. Attractions Magazine points out that Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia was built by the Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard, the same company behind most of the closed rides. Magic Mountain’s Goliath, which shares only the name, is the one coaster on the list built by a different manufacturer.

A rough stretch for Six Flags

This comes at a hard time for the company. Two weeks ago, Six Flags announced it would permanently retire X2 at Magic Mountain after lawsuits and a CNN investigation linked the ride to serious injuries, including brain bleeds and at least two deaths. Forbes reports that Six Flags recently settled a wrongful-death suit with the family of a 22-year-old who died after riding X2 in 2022.

Goliath has its own history. In 2006, the year it opened, a 45-year-old man died after losing consciousness on the ride. His autopsy found a heart condition. According to the Doan Law Firm, which tracks amusement park accidents, Monday’s death would be at least the seventh at the Georgia park.

What’s next

The big questions are how a rider came out of a moving coaster and whether the restraint itself was involved. Until investigators answer those, the nine coasters stay closed. We’ll keep you updated as more details come out.

Our thoughts are with this man’s family, the riders who were injured, and everyone who saw it happen.