Six Flags temporarily closes 9 other roller coasters after fatal incident in Georgia


Immediately after a person was killed and others were hurt while riding the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, Six Flags announced it temporarily shut down nine similar hypercoasters in six theme parks across North America.

“The safety of our guests and associates remains one of our highest priorities,” Six Flags said in a statement Monday.

In this Aug. 15, 2011, file photo, the Nitro roller coaster is shown at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

Shutterstock, FILE

The coasters closed include Nitro in Great Adventure; Raging Bull in Great America; Behemoth and Leviathan in Canada’s Wonderland; Goliath in Magic Mountain; Fury 325 and Thunder Striker in Carowinds; and Orion and Diamondback in Kings Island.

Some of these coasters exceed 90 miles per hour and stand more than 300 feet, according to Six Flags.

All but one of the coasters were manufactured by roller coaster design company Bolliger & Mabillard, which has designed coasters for many Six Flags parks and other amusement parks around the world since 1988.

The Swiss-based company said in a statement to ABC News Tuesday that it was “actively investigating the incident,” and declined to comment “further until we have a better understanding of what happened.”

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family and those affected,” Bolliger & Mabillard said.

The Goliath coaster at Magic Mountain was manufactured by the now defunct Swiss-based company Giovanola. 

A hypercoaster, as defined by Six Flags, “generally refers to steel roller coasters over 200 feet (61 meters) tall that prioritize airtime and speed over inversions. They often feature large camelback hills designed to maximize weightlessness.”

Raging Bull is the oldest of the closed coasters, opening at Great America in Illinois in 1999, seven years before Goliath opened, according to the park.

In this May 26, 2016, file photo, riders aboard the Raging Bull roller coaster scream out as they head into a dip at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois.

Anthony Souffle/Chicago Tribune via TNS via Getty Images

Six Flags touted the ride as the “world’s first hyper-twister roller coaster,” with a 202-foot drop and speeds of 73 miles per hour.

Orion in the Ohio-based Kings Island is the newest ride, debuting in the summer of 2020, according to Six Flags. The ride is 5,321 feet long with a 300-foot drop and a max speed of 91 miles per hour, the park says.

Fury 325 is the longest, fastest and tallest of the closed rides, according to Six Flags.

In this July 3, 2023, file photo, the Fury 325 roller coaster is shown at Carowinds amusement park in Charlotte, N.C.

Erik Verduzco/AP Photo, FILE

The coaster, part of the North Carolina Carowinds park, has a top speed of 95 miles per hour, a length of 6,600 feet and a peak height of 325 feet, Six Flags said.

-ABC News’ Jason Volack contributed to this report.



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