Man who died in fall from Six Flags rollercoaster was a cancer survivor who cheated death just weeks earlier in devastating car fire
Hassan Kariem, a 42-year-old Georgia man and two-time lymphoma survivor, died after being thrown from the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday. The fatal incident has prompted a police investigation into what went wrong, while family and friends are mourning a man remembered as a devoted educator and technology enthusiast.
Kariem had visited the park with his partner, her daughter and her niece, continuing a family tradition. About three weeks earlier, he and his 10-year-old stepdaughter had escaped injury in a car fire that destroyed their vehicle; he had also previously been hospitalised with COVID. Police say he appears to have been ejected and struck other riders before falling beneath the attraction, and four others were taken to hospital. Witnesses reported unusual clicking from the restraints before the ride began, but the cause has not been established.
- Hassan Kariem died after being ejected from Six Flags’ Goliath rollercoaster.
- Police are investigating reports of clicking from the ride’s restraints.
- Four other people were taken to hospital.
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Six Flags Over Georgia is an amusement park near Atlanta, and Goliath is one of its large rollercoasters. Riders are secured by restraints, which are checked before a ride starts; an investigation can examine the equipment, operating procedures and what happened during the ride.
Hassan Kariem was a two-time lymphoma survivor and worked in education. He had visited the park with family, and relatives said he had recently escaped unharmed when a car caught fire. The incident matters because investigators are looking into how a rider came out of the coaster and whether safety measures worked as intended.