A person died and other people were injured at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday, officials said, as witnesses reported seeing a man fall from a roller coaster.
The Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications confirmed the death at the amusement park just outside Atlanta but was unable to immediately provide details.
Cobb County Police Sgt. E.D. Smith said in a statement that several people were also injured in the incident, reported just before 4 p.m., and that the department’s Major Crimes Unit is investigating.
Witnesses who spoke to NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta said they saw a man fall from the Goliath roller coaster, with at least two saying they saw him strike parts of the ride multiple times before he hit the ground.
“He fell and hit the car three different times,” a witness told the station.
In a statement, a park spokesperson said that, “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.
The spokesperson added that the park was providing support to affected guests and employees, and that details would not be immediately released “out of respect for the family’s privacy.”
Witness Logan Conner said he was on the ride with his fiancé when he saw the man detached from his seat on Goliath.
“The man started levitating in the air sideways,” he said. “We made direct eye contact with him.”
A witness told WXIA that the man had been sitting with a child and that his blood ended up on their ride vehicle.
Video showed riders exiting the roller coaster after it paused mid-ride.
Goliath, designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers of Switzerland, opened in 2006 and features a drop of more than 200 feet, which places it in the category of hyper coaster.
In September, Six Flags was named in multiple lawsuits after riders claimed to have suffered brain injuries on the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California. It includes 360-degree rotating seats, a 215-foot drop and sudden flips and rotations.
The coaster has been closed since July 12, a day after attorney Christopher Bulone said one of the plaintiffs suffered catastrophic brain injury after a ride. The park said at the time that it does not comment on pending lawsuits.
Six Flags Over Georgia is about 10 miles west of downtown Atlanta.
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