An amusement park goer at Six Flags Over Georgia in Mableton was killed Monday after falling out of his seat on the Goliath roller coaster.
Cobb County emergency crews rushed to the scene and police are now investigating the incident that also left several people injured, Fox 5 reported.
Authorities evacuated the park and Six Flags temporarily shut down nine roller coasters in six amusement parks, according to the Associated Press (AP). Those closures were in California, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, and Canada, per Fox Business.
Witnesses told 11 Alive the man who died hit the ride after being ejected, then fell onto a haunted house attraction’s roof.
The man’s fall was also reportedly captured on a souvenir photo that was taken during the ride. One person told the outlet the man was riding the roller coaster with his son while his wife and daughter were on the ground watching.
A woman who had ridden the roller coaster earlier in the day told Fox the news was hard for her to process.
“I broke because we were just on there. We were just, we were on there,” she said, adding, “I’m sorry for whoever that was. I’m so sorry that happened to you today. I’m sorry it could have been any of us. I’m so sorry.”
Another woman who was on the ride when the incident happened said the man fell on a girl seated near them:
In a statement addressing the tragedy, Six Flags said, “We are 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. We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected.”
“The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation. Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time,” the park concluded.
