Six Flags May Not Be Liable for Deadly Rollercoaster Accident in Georgia: Lawyer

A deadly roller coaster accident at a Georgia amusement park has raised some serious questions about safety and accountability, but the answers may not be as straightforward as they seem.

Despite the tragic circumstances, one legal expert told the New York Post that Six Flags might not ultimately be held liable for the death of a guest who was ejected from one of its roller coasters.

The victim, 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, died Monday after falling from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, located just outside Atlanta.

Police said preliminary interviews indicated that Kariem was ejected from the ride, struck other passengers, and fell beneath the attraction. Four minors also suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the incident.

Kariem worked at Wesley International Academy, where he served as an IT manager, technology teacher, and robotics coach. He had worked at the school for more than 12 years.

But while the circumstances surrounding his death are undoubtedly tragic, determining whether Six Flags bears legal responsibility will require a closer examination of Georgia law and the amusement park’s safety procedures.

Attorney Daniel Adamson explained to the New York Post that Georgia holds amusement parks to a standard of “ordinary care,” rather than the higher standard of “extraordinary diligence” required of public transportation operators.

That distinction could prove significant when determining whether Six Flags took reasonable precautions to protect its guests.

Adamson explained that investigators will need to examine the roller coaster’s design, maintenance records, and operating procedures to determine whether the accident could have been prevented.

And while amusement park guests generally accept certain inherent risks when boarding a roller coaster, being thrown from a moving ride is not necessarily among those risks.

Ultimately, Adamson suggested that Six Flags could avoid liability if the evidence establishes that the company exercised the legally required level of care.

However, compliance with safety procedures would not automatically settle every potential legal question.

Meanwhile, the latest developments in the investigation could become particularly relevant to that determination.

ABC News reported Thursday that Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire revealed that the Goliath roller coaster had passed its most recent state inspection.

“No violations, deficiencies, citations, or red tags were reported” during the March 16 inspection, the agency said in a statement.

That finding does not establish what happened during Monday’s fatal accident, but it does provide investigators with an important piece of the ride’s documented safety history.

The Goliath roller coaster has since been taken out of service and “remains secured,” the state agency confirmed. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kariem’s death is ongoing.

For now, the absence of violations during the previous inspection and the legal questions surrounding the accident underscore an important distinction: A devastating tragedy does not, by itself, establish negligence. Determining responsibility will depend on what investigators ultimately uncover.

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