Weeks after X2 closure, Six Flags shuts down ride after man plummets to his death

Six Flags Magic Mountain has temporarily closed its Goliath roller coaster after a man died after getting ejected from the ride of the same name at a Six Flags park in Georgia.

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The closure at the Southern California amusement park is one of nine precautionary shutdowns across six Six Flags properties in the United States and Canada, the company confirmed to the Associated Press. The shutdown comes less than two weeks after Six Flags Magic Mountain announced the permanent retirement of X2, another roller coaster at the Southern California park, amid multiple lawsuits alleging riders suffered serious brain injuries. 

“Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks,” a Six Flags spokesperson told WSB-TV. “The safety of our guests and team members remains one of our highest priorities.”

According to a Cobb County Police Department news release, officers working at the park responded to the ejection just before 4 p.m., and below the roller coaster, they found Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42. Kariem was “unresponsive and not breathing.”

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Witnesses and park employees told police that Kariem was ejected from the roller coaster and subsequently struck other riders before plummeting to the ground beneath the ride. Four other people were injured, according to WSB-TV. 

Six Flags has not announced when the affected roller coasters will reopen. SFGATE reached out to Six Flags but did not hear back prior to publication.