Theme park company Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters at six amusement parks on Monday after one person was killed and several others were injured in an incident involving a roller coaster in Georgia. A park spokesperson said they closed similar attractions at their parks “out of an abundance of caution” after the incident at Six Flags Over Georgia, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta. Officials did not confirm how the person died, how the others were injured or their conditions. Cobb County The police department’s major crimes unit has launched an investigation. Witnesses who spoke to NBC affiliate WXIA Atlanta said they saw a man fall from the Goliath roller coaster. “He fell and hit the car three different times,” a witness told the station. A Six Flags spokesperson said the park and local authorities responded immediately and are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate. “We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today,” the spokesperson said, adding that they are providing support to affected guests and team members. Authorities and Six Flags did not identify the roller coaster. However, local television stations showed videos of passengers being evacuated from the Goliath roller coaster. One person was killed and several others were injured at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday. Photograph: Christopher Oquendo/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock The roller coaster, which opened in 2006, reaches top speeds of 70 mph (approximately 113 kph) and heights of 200 feet (61 meters), the park’s website reports. For about three and a half minutes, riders “navigate through hairpin turns and soar over colossal hills,” according to the website. “I cannot imagine the horror that customers and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one,” Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said in a statement. He added that the next of kin have been notified. The amusement park is a major part of the county’s tourism and attracts visitors from across the Southeast, Cupido said. “We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen in a place that has given generations of families such happy memories,” he said. The Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Photograph: Christopher Oquendo/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock The incident comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California announced it was withdrawing its famous X2 roller coaster amid lawsuits alleging serious brain injuries caused by the ride. The park had settled a wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the roller coaster in 2022. after riding a high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park in Florida. He died from blunt impact injuries and his death was ruled accidental.
