Hassan Kariem beat cancer twice and survived a car fire — then died on a Six Flags roller coaster with his son beside him
Hassan Kariem with his wife, whose family described his death as a "terrible shock" and said they "just want to know what happened.Footage of the man falling from the Goliath roller coaster, which would rank as at least the seventh fatality on record at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Hassan Kariem, 42, an Atlanta teacher and two-time lymphoma survivor, was violently thrown from the Goliath hypercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday and struck the ride's metal frame three times before being found unresponsive. He had also survived a fiery car crash just three weeks earlier, escaping unharmed alongside his 10-year-old step-daughter. Kariem had spent summers at the park throughout his childhood and was there that day to keep up the tradition alongside his partner and her children.
His son was riding beside him when the accident unfolded; his wife and young daughter were watching from the ground below.
The family have urged the public not to circulate viral photos of his final moments, which were captured as he fell.
The Goliath ride had been shut for maintenance just hours before the fatal fall, witnesses told investigators, and records reportedly document hundreds of malfunctions on the park's ageing rides.
