By Mark Woolsey
Cobb County police have identified the 42-year-old Atlanta man who died Monday after being ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Authorities say Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was unresponsive and not breathing when officers located him shortly after the 3:58 p.m. incident. Officers secured the scene and requested assistance from the Cobb police Major Crimes Unit, which is investigating.
A police spokesman said Kariem struck other riders after being ejected from his seat and before falling, according to accounts from park personnel and witnesses. Several news reports say he landed on the roof of a haunted house attraction.
Kariem’s official cause of death apparently has not been released. The extent of injuries to the riders who were struck also has not been announced.
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. says it has shut down similar coasters at several parks in its system out of an abundance of caution.
Goliath, a hypercoaster, is about 200 feet tall and can reach speeds of 70 mph. It opened at the park in 2006.