Two thrill rides at Kings Island in Ohio are shut down indefinitely, part of a wave of closures at theme parks around the world after a fatal ejection from a Six Flags Over Georgia roller coaster. Ohio theme park fans are now debating how long the rides will stay offline.
The Incident That Set Off the Closures
On October 12, 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died after being “ejected” from his seat on Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia. Police, witnesses, and on-ride photos indicate he struck other riders and the coaster's infrastructure several times before falling near a haunted house building used for the park's Fright Fest event.
When the train returned to the station, passengers screamed, and some said they had blood on their clothing. Operators emergency-stopped the second train before it finished its circuit and evacuated its riders. Investigators are still working to determine the cause.
Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), a Swiss manufacturer, built Goliath with a clamshell-style lap bar and no secondary seatbelt or backup restraint. Kariem, an Atlanta IT manager, robotics coach, and educator, was visiting with his family.
“This is Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem with a student who dressed as him for ‘dress as your favorite teacher' day.
Instead of sharing the horrible six flags photo, I implore you to share this.
He was a father, son, teacher, he made an impact on his community. Let's please focus on his life rather than his tragic passing. He was so much more than his final moments.
Sending love to every person whose life was touched by this poor man.”
Diamondback and Orion Go Dark
Citing an abundance of caution, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation closed nine B&M coasters with clamshell-style lap bars across six of its parks. Kings Island's Diamondback and Orion are among them. Unlike Goliath, both also have seatbelts in addition to the main restraint.
A Reddit thread from u/nick_the_fox confirmed the news, reading:
Orion and Diamondback closed indefinitely officially confirmed.
Orion and Diamondback closed indefinitely officially confirmed.
byu/nick_the_fox inKingsIsland
Fans Weigh In
Many Kings Island fans guessed the rides would stay closed through the end of Halloween Haunts and the final “Bonus Weekend,” which wraps up on November 8.
“They're done for the year,” said u/Next_Airline26. “Expect to see the trains coming off in the next week for an early start on maintenance.”
“Better to play it safe than sorry,” u/SwiftyMusicGods wrote.
Others thought the added seatbelts could put these coasters first in line to reopen.
“I hope since the KI ones have seat belts unlike the SF ones this will just be an inspection and not a down for the season to overhaul the trains to add seatbelts etc.,” u/Omegatron387 commented.
“I don't think they will be down the rest of the season since Diamondback and Orion both already have Seatbelts they are more likely to be the first coasters to open,” u/TheGine2010 agreed. “I think this weekend they will be closed next weekend is a toss up and the last weekend of haunt they will most likely be open. The only thing is if the investigation determines shoulder restraints are required it will be a while before B&M Hypers will be open as that will require extensive modification and possibly complete redesigning of the trains.”
Kings Island hasn't said when it expects Orion or Diamondback to reopen.
Should all clamshell-style lap bars have a backup retractable seatbelt restraint? Share your thoughts with Disney Fanatic in the comments.
