Roller-coaster rider’s death puts spotlight on the safety of ever more thrilling rides

The horrific death of a man who was ejected from a Six Flags roller coaster in Georgia is drawing attention to the safety of amusement park rides that have become increasingly faster and steeper in their quest for the biggest thrill.Deaths on roller coasters are still extremely rare, and Georgia officials have said little about what happened Monday when Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old school employee from Atlanta, was thrown from his seat while riding the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia before striking other patrons and then landing below the ride.Goliath uses a sheer drop from 200 feet (61 meters) to reach top speeds of 70 mph (112 kph). It focuses on velocity and downhill plunges rather than turning riders upside down through loops or corkscrews. It has operated at the park for two decades.Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters across North America following the death, saying it was doing so out of an abundance of caution.Ride manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard said it is “actively investigating the incident and will not comment further until we have a better understanding of what happened.”The US has a patchwork of rules regarding ridesIn the U.S., roller coasters and other rides at major amusement parks such as Six Flags are not regulated by the federal government. That responsibility falls to states.Some say this has led to an inconsistent patchwork of rules where some states have strict regulations and others have little to no oversight.U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has repeatedly introduced legislation to close what he calls a “loophole” in federal law that allows U.S. safety officials to regulate mobile rides but prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from overseeing stationary rides like those at major amusement parks.Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor and amusement ride safety expert, agrees that more federal regulations are needed.“Who’s watching those in these organizations to ensure that they are adequately trained, that they are compliant, that they are monitoring these rides to the level which the standards have established?” Avery said.Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees annual ride inspections in the state, is “conducting an in‑depth and comprehensive review” of what happened Monday at Six Flags, said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson.Amusement park industry has set its own safety standardsAmusement park operators worldwide generally adhere to what are known as ASTM standards set by industry experts, which cover everything from ride design and construction to how much acceleration and force each rider is allowed to experience.The industry has multiple layers of inspection, said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant and past president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a trade group. Park operators are under pressure from insurance carriers that could face a hefty payout if something goes wrong.“With the checks and balances that are put in place, theme parks are really one of the safest places to be on the planet,” he said in a phone interview Tuesday.In 2024, the rate of serious and reportable injuries per million roller coaster rides was 1.27, according to the trade group. For all amusement park rides, “guest behavior” contributed to 66% of the injuries that year, with 9% attributable to operational factors and 15% to technical factors, the group said.Jakob Wahl, the trade group's current president, extended condolences to Kariem's family in a statement on Wednesday.Experts say roller coaster safety mechanisms are ‘dependable’Martin Lewison, a roller coaster expert and a professor at Farmingdale State College, said it was difficult to imagine there being a mechanical malfunction on a roller coaster such as Goliath because of its design.The ride features a pull-down lap restraint called a “clamshell” that works with a ratchet mechanism that makes clicking sounds as you press it down over your hips. They have multiple disks to ensure redundancy if one fails, Lewison said.“They’re dependable. They’re not so technically advanced that theme parks have difficulty with operations,” Lewison said.The operator then has a safety system that displays a green “go” light for every seat on the train before it can be dispatched. The train should theoretically not be allowed to proceed unless all restraints are locked, Lewison said.But few things are 100% safe.In 2022, a 14-year-old Missouri boy fell to his death from an Orlando amusement park ride when the harness didn't lock properly due to his size. In 2013, a 52-year-old Dallas woman was killed when she slipped out of her seat on the Texas Giant ride at Six Flags Over Texas. Six Flags has since added redesigned restraint-bar pads, seat belts and a coaster seat at the ride’s entrance so guests can check whether they fit safely into the cars before getting on.Nick Mendenhall, who has been on the Goliath more than a dozen times in recent weeks and witnessed Monday's death, said he saw Six Flags staff check the restraints each time he rode it.“There are two employees, one on either side of the train, and with their hands they push down and they make sure it locks every time. I’ve never seen them not do it,” Mendenhall said.States handle oversight in different waysIn California, the state Department of Industrial Relations approves new rides and rides that have been modified. State officials either directly inspect them and how they are being operated each year or rely on an annual inspection by the owner, according to the department's website.Florida’s largest theme parks, on the other hand, are exempt from state safety inspections, unlike smaller venues and fairs. Instead, the largest theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols, but they must report to the state any injury or death. Texas, similarly, relies on inspections carried out by private inspectors hired by park operators or their insurance companies.Arizona, where Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is located, does not have a state-level agency that regulates amusement park rides or conducts safety inspections at all. The law requires an annual private inspection, with enforcement largely by local government.

Roller-coaster rider’s death puts spotlight on the safety of ever more thrilling rides

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics