Six Flags to Add Seatbelts to Goliath Coaster After Fatal Fall

Six Flags will install seatbelts on its Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, the company said, after a rider died on the ride earlier this month. NBC News reported that the announcement came on a Friday.

The rider was Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old father and educator. According to The Guardian, he was thrown from his seat and collided with the ride's other cars on his way down.

The Goliath drops riders 165 feet, then plunges another 180 feet. Its restraint is a lap bar that locks over the rider's waist, a design from Bolliger & Mabillard. Seatbelts are being added to a ride whose current restraint is that bar.

Georgia authorities have launched a probe into Kariem's death. After the fall, Six Flags temporarily closed the Goliath and eight rides at five other parks.

Six Flags CEO John Reilly announced that seatbelts will also be added to coasters with a similar restraint. The list of which coasters that would include remains unclear.

The company has also commissioned an independent review of safety procedures for all of its attractions. The park has said the Goliath remains closed pending safety reviews and clearances, and Six Flags says the ride will reopen with seatbelts after the fatal fall.