“GENUINELY HORRIFYING” — WIFE WAITED OUTSIDE ROLLER COASTER AS FATAL ACCIDENT ANNOUNCEMENT LEFT HER FACING EVERY FAMILY’S WORST NIGHTMARE

She was waiting just outside the ride, expecting her husband to return from an afternoon of family fun. Then came an announcement that a guest had died — and a terrifying realisation that the victim could be the man she loved.

Eboni Kariem was waiting near the exit of the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia when a family outing turned into an unimaginable tragedy.

Her husband, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, had been riding the towering attraction when he was suddenly ejected from his seat. According to preliminary information released by police, he struck other riders before falling beneath the ride.

The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. on October 12, 2026, at the amusement park in Cobb County, Georgia.

Hassan was found unresponsive and not breathing. Despite the emergency response, he did not survive.

For Eboni, the horror unfolded in a place where families had gathered expecting an ordinary day of entertainment. She had been waiting outside the attraction, unaware that her husband’s ride would end in tragedy.

According to reports, she became alarmed when an announcement was made about a fatality. The possibility that Hassan was involved turned a frightening situation into every spouse’s worst nightmare.

A FAMILY DAY THAT ENDED IN DEVASTATION

Hassan had visited the park with relatives to celebrate his 13-year-old niece’s birthday.

The family outing was meant to be a happy occasion, a chance to spend time together and create memories. Instead, the family was left confronting the sudden death of a husband, father, uncle and beloved educator.

Relatives told news outlets that Hassan had been seated beside his niece on the Goliath when the incident occurred.

His niece reportedly said that he appeared to faint shortly before he was thrown from the ride. Family members have also raised questions about the condition of his safety restraint.

Those accounts have added to the questions surrounding the accident, but investigators have not yet established why Hassan was ejected or whether a medical event, a restraint issue, a mechanical problem or another factor played a role.

The official investigation remains ongoing.

 WHAT HAPPENED ON THE GOLIATH?

The Goliath is one of Six Flags Over Georgia’s major roller coaster attractions. It reaches approximately 200 feet in height and can travel at speeds of up to 70 mph.

At around 3:58 p.m., officers working at the park responded to an incident involving a male guest on a roller coaster.

According to the Cobb County Police Department, preliminary interviews with witnesses and employees indicated that Hassan was ejected from the ride, struck other patrons and then fell beneath the attraction.

Officers found him unresponsive and immediately secured the scene before requesting assistance from the department’s Major Crimes Unit.

Four other young riders were reported injured after being struck during the incident. Local reports identified them as juveniles. The full extent of their injuries and their subsequent medical status have not been comprehensively confirmed in the public information available.

The accident has raised urgent questions about how a passenger could be thrown from such a large attraction and what circumstances preceded the fall.

However, officials have not announced a final determination about the cause.

A BELOVED TEACHER WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

Away from the roller coaster, Hassan was known for his work in education and technology.

He worked at Wesley International Academy in Atlanta, where he served as an IT manager, technology teacher and robotics coach.

The school described him as a cherished colleague and friend who had been an integral part of its community for more than 12 years.

His work brought him into contact with generations of students, helping them learn, explore technology and develop their interests.

For colleagues and families who knew him through the school, the news of his death was deeply distressing.

Hassan was not simply a name in a police report. He was a person with a family, a career and relationships built over years of everyday moments.

His death has left those who knew him trying to understand how a family celebration could end so suddenly.

 INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

The Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating the fatal incident. Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire is also examining the circumstances surrounding the ride.

Investigators are working to establish how Hassan was ejected and whether any mechanical, operational or safety-related factors contributed to the accident.

The ride’s manufacturer, Bolliger & Mabillard, has also been involved in examining the incident.

Six Flags said it was cooperating with authorities and expressed condolences to Hassan’s family and everyone affected.

The Goliath was closed following the accident. The company also temporarily shut down several similar roller coasters at other parks while safety evaluations were carried out.

Those precautionary closures do not, by themselves, establish that the rides share a defect or that a mechanical failure caused Hassan’s death. Investigators will need to determine what happened in this specific incident before drawing conclusions.

 A WIFE LEFT WITH QUESTIONS NO ONE EXPECTED TO ASK

For Eboni and the rest of Hassan’s family, the investigation is unfolding alongside an intensely personal grief.

She had been waiting outside the ride for her husband to return. Instead, she was confronted with news of a fatal accident and the devastating possibility that the man she was waiting for would never walk back towards her.

The circumstances have left the family facing questions that may take time to answer.

Could the accident have been prevented? Was the restraint functioning as intended? What happened in the moments before Hassan fell?

At present, these questions remain unresolved. Investigators have not publicly established the precise cause of the ejection or assigned responsibility.

What is known is that a 42-year-old man died during a family visit to an amusement park, and several other young riders were injured in the same incident.

 REMEMBERING HASSAN

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was a husband, a father and an educator whose work touched the lives of students and colleagues.

His family had gone to Six Flags to celebrate a birthday. They could not have anticipated that the day would end with a death investigation and a loss that would change their lives forever.

As authorities continue examining the ride and the events surrounding the accident, those closest to Hassan are left mourning the man they knew and loved.

For his wife, the memory of waiting outside the Goliath may forever be connected to the moment an ordinary family outing became a tragedy.

The investigation may eventually provide answers about what went wrong. For now, Hassan’s loved ones are left to grieve, while the community remembers a teacher whose life ended far too soon.

The cause of the accident has not been officially determined. Reports that Hassan fainted before being ejected come from family accounts, and questions about the safety restraint remain part of the wider scrutiny surrounding the incident.