A man died after witnesses said he flew out of his seat on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday afternoon. Four other guests were injured.
The incident happened at approximately 3:58 p.m. Oct. 12, according to the Cobb County Police Department. Officers assigned to the park and uniformed patrol officers responded. Police had not released the guest’s identity Monday night, and officials had not confirmed how he died or what caused the other injuries.
Witnesses told WXIA that they watched the man fall from Goliath, CNN reported. Witnesses also told a local station that the fall was captured by the ride’s souvenir-photo system, according to Good Morning America. Those accounts have not been confirmed by investigators.
Riders evacuated from a stopped Goliath train
A second Goliath train stopped near the top of the ride while the emergency response unfolded. CBS News Atlanta cameras showed guests walking down the emergency stairway from the ride’s largest hill. WSB-TV’s helicopter footage showed riders being brought down four at a time.
WSB-TV published a 14-photo gallery of the evacuation, including aerial views of the stopped train and riders descending the lift-hill stairs.
The 200-foot hypercoaster opened in 2006. Its first drop descends 170 feet, and trains can reach 70 mph.
The complete police and Six Flags statements
The Cobb County Police Department’s complete statement said, “Several people were reported injured, and one person has died.” It placed the incident at approximately 3:58 p.m. Oct. 12 and said officers assigned to Six Flags Over Georgia responded alongside uniformed patrol officers. Detectives from the department’s Major Crimes Unit were also sent to investigate the circumstances.
Six Flags’ complete statement said, “We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today.” The company extended condolences to the guest’s family, friends and loved ones and said it was supporting affected guests and team members. Six Flags said the park team and local authorities responded immediately and that it was cooperating fully with the investigation. It said no additional details would be shared out of respect for the family’s privacy.
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said state safety inspectors and investigators were at the park examining the equipment and working with park and public-safety officials.
Mableton Mayor Michael Owens said the city’s public safety director was coordinating with Cobb County police and park security. Cobb County Commission Chair Lisa Cupid said the county was working with Six Flags and other partners while investigators determine what happened.
Witnesses describe the moment the rider fell
Brittany Landry of Winder told FOX 5 Atlanta that she was waiting in the back row of the Georgia Scorcher line, roughly 150 feet from Goliath, when she saw a person fly from the train toward the woods. Guests shouted that someone had fallen, and several people ran toward the area. Landry said her son tried to look but found the area blocked. She initially hoped she had seen a bag or another loose object before concluding it had been a rider.
Deysi Gonzalez was waiting in the same line with her mother and brother. She did not see the fall because she had looked away, but heard another guest say somebody had come off Goliath. Gonzalez saw people run toward the woods. Her brother followed them and returned saying he believed a person had fallen. She said another guest later confirmed what had happened.
The returning incident train was separate from the second Goliath train that stopped on the lift and was evacuated by stairs. Unconfirmed social-media accounts describe the first train returning to the station with riders crying and trying to get off, one person missing and the empty seat’s restraint raised. Other accounts say the man flew backward into the train, struck a car behind him as many as three times and left blood on nearby riders before hitting the roof of a building and then the ground.
Those social-media details have not been confirmed by investigators. They do not establish that a restraint failed, when it opened or what caused the incident.
What the circulating ride photos appear to show
Unconfirmed images described as Goliath ride photos are circulating on social media, including X. They appear to show the man airborne and flying backward into the row behind him, with his lap bar open, as several riders in that row yell and shield their faces.
CrowdLevels will not link to or reproduce the images out of respect for the victim, his family and the other riders. The images have not been authenticated. They do not establish why the lap bar appears open, whether it opened during the ride, or what caused the incident.
Other witness accounts reported by Good Morning America said the man struck parts of the ride during the fall. Police have not confirmed that account. No mechanical failure, operator action or restraint failure has been established.
The investigation comes amid wider Six Flags scrutiny
The Georgia park had faced questions about another high-elevation ride earlier this year. A June stop left SkyScreamer riders suspended roughly 260 feet above the park for about 10 minutes, WSB-TV reported. Six Flags said that stop was a technical delay, the safety system worked as designed and all guests returned safely to the loading position.
The company is also facing litigation connected with X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California. Six Flags announced X2’s retirement last month amid lawsuits alleging brain injuries. CrowdLevels previously reported the settlement of a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a 22-year-old man who died after riding X2 in 2022. A separate X2 injury case is scheduled for trial in 2027, and three additional lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed last week.
Those events involve different rides and circumstances. For Monday’s Goliath incident, the Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation, and officials have not announced a cause.