ATLANTA — A man died and several others were injured at the Six Flags Over Georgia amusement park outside Atlanta on Monday, local officials confirmed, after witnesses reported seeing a man fall from a roller coaster.
The Cobb County Police Department said it was investigating the fatality at the park, about 24 km from Atlanta in the US state of Georgia, according to CBS.
Police did not specify what ride was involved, but aerial footage from news helicopters showed the Goliath rollercoaster stopped midway, with riders being helped off by workers.
Six Flags Over Georgia said it was “deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones.”
Officials have not said how the person was killed, but witnesses told local media they saw a man ejected from the ride.
Local outlet 11Alive quoted a witness saying the man fell from the rollercoaster onto the roof of a haunted house attraction.
A park spokesperson said in a statement that its team and local authorities had responded immediately, and they were co-operating on an investigation into the incident.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said the city’s public safety director was co-ordinating with local police and park security on the situation.
The Goliath ride opened in 2006, and it has an elevation of 200ft (60m), a 170ft plunge, a 540-degree spiral, and a speed of up to 70mph (112km/h), according to the park website. On its “thrill scale”, Six Flags ranks Goliath at level four out of five.
Monday’s death is the latest of several at the Georgia amusement park, according to personal injury attorneys.
The fatalities include a 45-year-old man dying from an apparent heart attack after riding the Goliath in 2006, said the Doan Law Firm.
Six Flags is the largest amusement park operator in North America, with 20 amusement parks, 14 water parks and nine resorts across Canada, the US and Mexico.
The incident comes just weeks after one of its parks in southern California announced it would close the popular X2 roller coaster after more than 100 people alleged brain injuries from the ride.
Six Flags said the ride had passed a range of safety tests, but that it had decided to retire it because it was “the right thing to do”.
Source: Saudi Gazette