Six Flags Parkgoer Died After Fainting on Goliath Roller Coaster, Niece Says

A Six Flags parkgoer who fell to his death from the Goliath roller coaster had fainted before the incident, according to his niece, who was riding with him. Hassan Kariem, 42, was ejected from the high-speed ride at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta on Monday afternoon, resulting in his death and injuries to four other patrons.

Kariem's niece, who was celebrating her 13th birthday at the park, told her father that Kariem appeared to faint before his restraint came loose. "What she told me on that phone call, she said he fainted, or he passed out," Joshua Nelson, Kariem's brother-in-law and the girl's father, told WSBTV. "They went up and down, up and down, up and down. It went up again, his latch snapped or came loose, and he fell. She told me he fell off the rollercoaster."

The niece reported that she did not know where her uncle had gone after falling from the ride. Nelson then contacted Kariem's wife, who was waiting outside the attraction and had not yet been informed of the incident. She learned of the fatality when authorities made an announcement, immediately fearing the victim was her husband.

Cobb County police stated Wednesday that officers found Kariem unresponsive and not breathing beneath the attraction. "Preliminary information gathered through witness and employee interview indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction," the Cobb County Police Department said in a statement.

Four children sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to a hospital, according to police. "Because they were all juveniles, no further information can be shared," a Cobb County police public information officer told The Post.

Six Flags supervisor KeJuan Taylor described finding Kariem as "genuinely horrifying." Taylor added, "I have not suffered any physical injuries but it has been on my mind very recently through these past days."

The Goliath roller coaster, which opened in 2006, reaches speeds of 70 mph and heights of 200 feet. Six Flags confirmed that the park would reopen on Friday, but the Goliath coaster would remain "temporarily closed."

The Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire are investigating the death.