Six Flags shuts nine coasters after a rider dies in a fall from Goliath in Georgia

Six Flags has pulled nine roller coasters at six of its parks in the U.S. and Canada out of service after a man was killed Monday afternoon in a fall from the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Four other people were hurt. The company said it shut the similar rides as a precaution while investigators work out what went wrong.

What happened on Goliath

Cobb County police said officers assigned to the park took the emergency call at about 3:58 p.m. Witnesses described a rider falling from a moving train. Some said he struck the cars several times as he fell. Others said they watched him land among the trees beside the track.

The ride stopped with a train near the top of its lift hill. Crews brought riders down four at a time and some passengers said they were stuck up there for more than an hour before they were rescued. A guest waiting in line said that when a train rolled back into the station he saw one seat with its restraint completely open. Officials have not confirmed any account of how the man fell.

Who is investigating

The man's name has not been released. Cobb County Commission Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said his next of kin have been notified. Officials have not described how badly the four injured people were hurt.

Detectives from the county police Major Crimes Unit are leading the inquiry. Georgia's Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which inspects rides in the state, sent inspectors to examine the equipment alongside park staff and local public safety officials. Commissioner John F. King confirmed his team was on the scene.

Cupid called the death "a terrible tragedy" and said her heart aches for the man's family. Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said his city was deeply saddened. The park said it is cooperating fully and is offering support to the guests and workers affected.

Nine coasters on pause

The closed rides are Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America in Illinois, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, Leviathan and Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland in Ontario, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds on the North Carolina and South Carolina line and Orion and Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio. A Six Flags spokeswoman said guest and worker safety remains one of the company's top priorities.

Six Flags Over Georgia sits in Mableton about 10 miles west of downtown Atlanta. The park is on its off-season schedule and was open Monday for the federal holiday. It is not set to reopen until Friday.

A company already under scrutiny

Six Flags became the largest amusement park operator in the country after its 2024 merger with Cedar Fair and now runs 20 amusement parks and 14 water parks. In September it said it would permanently close the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain after reports tied that ride to more than a dozen injuries and at least two deaths.