Six Flags is adding seat belts to its Goliath roller coaster in Georgia and comparable rides elsewhere after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after falling from the attraction on October 12. The company’s response has focused on immediate safeguards, but the cause of the incident remains under investigation.

Chief executive John Reilly said Goliath and eight other coasters across five parks had been taken out of service while safety checks proceed. “What happened has deeply affected all of us at Six Flags,” Reilly said, adding that the company was reinforcing precautions with seat belts on rides using similar restraints.¹ Goliath uses a lap-bar system; the company has not published a full list of every coaster receiving the upgrade.²

Six Flags has also hired independent engineers and ride-inspection specialists to assess procedures across its parks. Reilly said the company would evaluate their findings and take action to strengthen its safety standards.³ That approach is presented as a system-wide review rather than a conclusion about why Kariem was ejected.

Other reporting has stressed the unanswered questions surrounding the Georgia ride. State and local investigators are examining the coaster’s lap-bar restraints, locking mechanisms and computerized sensors, while accounts from riders have raised concerns about the restraint system before the train departed.⁴ Authorities have not publicly identified a cause.

The fatality has also renewed attention on incidents involving Six Flags attractions, including litigation and reported injuries tied to the now-closed X2 coaster in California.² For now, both accounts converge on the immediate measures—closures, added seat belts and outside review—while differing mainly in emphasis: Six Flags frames them as proactive safety steps, while other coverage highlights the questions investigators still need to resolve.