Six Flags is adding seat belts to some of its roller coasters following the death of a rider earlier this month.
The new safety changes to rides across the country comes after an Oct. 12 incident in Georgia where a 42-year-old rider named Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was apparently ejected from their seat on the Goliath roller coaster, resulting in their death. Four other riders were also reportedly injured.
“We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint,” John Reilly, President and CEO of Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, said in a statement.
The Goliath—which rises to 200 feet and could reach speeds of up to 70 miles an hour—is one of nine rides across five parks that are temporarily closed as safety investigations proceed.
According to PBS, all nine rides feature similar clamshell restraints and were manufactured by the same company, Swiss roller coaster design consultancy Bolliger & Mabillard. The clamshell restraints sit on top of a metal vertical bar placed between a rider’s legs, which has a locked restraint that lays on top of the rider’s legs to keep them in place during the ride.
A timeline for when the rides will reopen has not been established yet, Kristin Fitzgerald, Director Public Relations and Communications, Six Flags, told Fast Company.
“The timing of when these seat belts will be installed may vary by attraction based on the reviews, engineering requirements, availability of components and applicable approval processes,” Fitzgerald added. “We will not reopen an affected attraction until the necessary work and reviews associated with that ride have been completed. We will provide park-specific updates as information becomes available.”
Other non-Six Flags amusement parks have proactively closed down rides with similar restraints to the Goliath, including one in La Ronde in Montreal, Canada, and another in SeaWorld Orlando—although it has since reopened the ride.
