amusement park safety

Published on: October 13, 2026

Amusement Park Rides Result in Death and Brain Injuries

Tragedy occurred at Six Flags over Georgia on October 12, when one patron died and several others were injured after a man was ejected from a roller coaster. Cobb County police identified the man as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, who was riding Six Flags’ Goliath coaster when he was ejected over the top of the hill near the end of the ride, striking other patrons during his fall. CBS reported that one witness, Connor Thompson, was standing in line for the Goliath ride, and said it looked as if the restraint on the seat was unlatched. This same ride was the site of another death in 2006, in which a man had a heart attack on the coaster.

Given the possibility for severe injuries and even fatalities, it is surprising that there is no federal oversight of amusement park rides. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission investigates accidents from machinery, but ever since 1981, Congress ruled that amusement and water parks are exempted from this regulation as long as the rides are “permanently fixed to a site,” such as rides at Six Flags theme parks. The amusement park industry is represented by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, or IAAPA, which spends about $600,000 annually to lobby against federal regulations. These efforts have been successful: legislation has been proposed to restore this oversight since 2001, but as of 2026 nothing has changed. IAAPA conducts their own safety survey, but completing the survey is optional, with only 177 of 436 invited parks participating in 2019.

This lack of oversight results in injured patrons seeking redress through individual lawsuits, rather than broad changes occurring in the industry. For example, another Six Flags location, Magic Mountain in California, has been the site of more than 100 brain injuries after patrons rode the X2 coaster. According to CNN’s analysis of medical records and court filings, patrons have suffered from brain injuries connected to this ride for two decades, resulting in at least two deaths.

Published on: May 5, 2019

Crash Test Dummies on Ride Fall off: Amusement Park Insists Ride is Safe

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Few things feel more like summer than a trip to the amusement park. As schools let out all over the state of Georgia in a few weeks, thousands will flock to Six Flags, White Water or other amusement parks throughout the state, or country, for some summertime fun. And while accidents on rides at amusement parks are rare, they are not unheard of. The safety of the rides at amusement parks around the country was called into question recently when two crash test dummies flew off their seats on a roller coaster and landed several feet away.

The two dummies were being tested to check the safety of the GaleForce roller coaster at Playland’s Castaway Cove in New Jersey. The ride was putting the dummies though a routine safety check, when the dummies, that were supposed to be securely restrained in their seats, flew off the ride midway and crashed into the roof of a nearby hotel. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported to the people at the hotel, although there was significant damage to the roof of the building.

According to amusement park officials, the fact that the crash test dummies flew off the ride is no cause for alarm. They insist that the ride is safe, and has been safe ever since it was launched. They say that there was no failure of operation or machinery, and that this incident was a result of the dummies not being used properly on the ride.

Published on: October 31, 2009

Teenagers Injured in Roller Coaster Crash in Augusta

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Teenagers Injured in Roller Coaster Crash in Augusta

Three teenagers were injured seriously enough to require a visit to the hospital, after the roller coaster they were on crashed at the Georgia Carolina State Fair in Augusta over the weekend.

The crash occurred on Saturday at around 9:30 pm. According to witnesses, they yelled out when they saw that the roller coaster were about to crash, but the operator failed to slam the brakes quickly enough causing the coaster to rear end the others. In all, four people were injured, and three of them required treatment at the hospital.The victims insist that no one at the fair bothered to check if their injuries were serious. They received no emergency care.Far from displaying any concern about the injuries, the fair operators acted quickly to shut down the roller coaster as soon as the accident occurred. Fair personnel have not yet commented about the reasons for the crash.

Published on: September 28, 2008

Carnival Worker Injured in Amusement Ride Fall

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

On Sunday, a carnival worker was critically injured when he fell forty-five feet from the outside of a Roll-O-Plane carnival ride at the Plaza Fiesta on Buford Highway in DeKalb County.The outdoor carnival is operated by Gold Medal Shows.

According to witnesses, the worker was trying to secure a door of the ride when the ride started moving and he was hoisted into the air.The Roll-O-Plane is a bullet-shaped passenger cabin that spins upward by a single rotating arm.After losing his grip at the top of the ride, the worker plunged onto a steel support beam at the base of the ride.

Two teenage brothers were inside the ride with an unsecured door at the time of the accident.Their horrified mother watched from below while they were trapped atop the ride for twenty minutes.DeKalb County Firefighters rescued the teens.Initial reports blame human error for the mishap.

Published on: July 2, 2008

Six Flags Ride Kills Teen

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

On Saturday, June 28^th, seventeen year-old Asia LeeShawn Ferguson, was decapitated when he was struck by the Batman roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia in Austell, Georgia.

Witnesses report that Ferguson, who was with his family and a church group from South Carolina, scaled two perimeter fences with another teenage friend and entered a danger zone inside the ride area.

Although some witnesses indicate Ferguson was trying to retrieve a lost hat or possibly touch the feet of riders on the ride, Cobb County police dismissed those rumors as unsubstantiated.Instead, Ferguson and his friend may simply have been trying to re-enter the park from the parking lot rather than using the main entrance as required.