A death on a Six Flags Over Georgia coaster has set off a wave of ride closures across North America, and two attractions at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina, are among them. Both use the same type of restraint and come from the same manufacturer as the ride involved.
The Incident at Six Flags Over Georgia
On Monday, October 12, a man named Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died after being “ejected” from his seat on Goliath, a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia outside Atlanta. Kariem, 42, was an Atlanta educator riding with his son, who witnessed his death. On-ride photos showing the man after he fell from his seat have circulated widely on social media.
According to police and witnesses, Kariem was “ejected from the ride” and struck other riders and the coaster itself several times before landing near a Fright Fest haunted house building close to Goliath. When the train returned to the station, passengers screamed at operators, who then emergency-stopped the other train on the track and evacuated its riders.
Goliath was built by the Swiss manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard and uses clamshell-style lap bars. As authorities look into what went wrong, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation closed other B&M rides with similar restraints across its parks, citing an “abundance of caution.”
Carowinds Pulls Two Coasters
WRAL News reported on Tuesday, October 13, that Carowinds had closed Fury 325 and Thunder Striker. Both are B&M coasters with clamshell-style lap bars like Goliath's.
Thunder Striker, formerly known as Intimidator, opened in 2010. Secondary seatbelts were added in 2014 as a backup safety measure. Fury 325 opened in 2015 and, unlike Goliath, uses both retractable seat belts and a clamshell-style lap bar. The steel coaster has had its own troubles: a viral video of a cracked support beam led to a repair closure in 2023, and crews shut it down again for two weeks in July 2026 over a foundation issue.
Carowinds hasn't said when either ride will reopen or whether any changes are planned.
Closures Elsewhere
Carowinds is one of six Six Flags-owned parks that closed nine coasters in total. The others are:
- 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
- Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island
SeaWorld Orlando, which Six Flags does not own, also closed Mako, a B&M coaster with the same clamshell-style lap bar and no additional seatbelt restraint.
Olivier Bolliger, manager for B&M, said:
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected. We are actively investigating the incident.”
Have you ever been on Fury 325 or Thunder Striker? In the comments, share your thoughts on the roller coasters with Disney Fanatic.
