Key Takeaways
- Six Flags closed 10 roller coasters across North America after an incident on Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia killed one guest and injured four others.
- The company suspended rides including Nitro, Fury 325, Leviathan, Orion, and Raging Bull while authorities investigate, with no mechanical failure or reopening dates confirmed.
- The shutdowns follow Six Flags’ permanent retirement of Magic Mountain’s X2 after reports linked the coaster to brain injuries, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Six Flags has shut down 10 roller coasters across North America after a deadly incident at its Georgia theme park left one person dead and four others injured. The sweeping closures come just two weeks after the company permanently retired another major attraction following a series of reported brain injuries, putting the amusement park giant's safety record back under intense scrutiny.
The latest incident unfolded Monday afternoon at Six Flags Over Georgia, where the Goliath roller coaster stopped shortly before 4 p.m. According to WSB-TV, emergency crews responded as several ride cars remained stranded high above the ground.
Officials confirmed one guest had died and four others were injured, although investigators have not disclosed what caused the incident or how the victims sustained their injuries.
Six Flags didn't limit its response to Georgia. The company also closed nine other roller coasters across its properties, including Goliath at California's Magic Mountain, Nitro at New Jersey's Great Adventure and Raging Bull at Illinois' Great America.
Canada's Wonderland shut down Leviathan and Behemoth, while Carowinds closed Fury 325 and Thunder Striker. Kings Island also suspended operations on Orion and Diamondback. No reopening dates have been announced.
"We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today," a Six Flags spokesperson told WSB-TV. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends, and loved ones."
The company said its employees and local authorities responded immediately and that it is cooperating with the investigation. Mableton Mayor Michael Owens also confirmed that city public safety officials were coordinating with Cobb County Police and park security.
The fatal incident lands at a particularly difficult moment for Six Flags. On September 29, the company announced that X2, one of Magic Mountain's most recognizable roller coasters, would never reopen after months of scrutiny over serious injuries linked to the attraction.
That decision came after two women suffered brain hemorrhages six days apart in July. Both required emergency brain surgery, and one was left in a coma. A CNN investigation subsequently uncovered more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations connected to X2, including two deaths.
Six Flags previously defended X2's safety record, maintaining that the ride consistently passed inspections. But Magic Mountain president Brian Oerding ultimately acknowledged that guest confidence had become a deciding factor.
"Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously," Oerding said when announcing X2's permanent closure.
Six Flags Over Georgia, which opened on October 12 despite operating on a limited offseason schedule, is not scheduled to welcome guests again until the end of the week.
Authorities have not determined what caused the Goliath incident, and no mechanical failure has been publicly confirmed.
