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Tragic new detail emerges about man who fell to his death from Six Flags Goliath roller coaster
New details have begun to emerge about the man killed on the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Reports emerged on Monday that a man had died, and several others had been injured, while riding the Goliath rollercoaster at the Atlanta-based amusement park.
Following the incident, witnesses came forward saying a man had fallen from the ride.
Six Flags responded to the incident "immediately" and went on to close nine similar rollercoasters across six of its parks. But now, new details about the man at the heart of the disaster have begun to trickle through.
Victim was father riding Goliath rollercoaster with his son
It has emerged that victim of the Goliath rollercoaster was a father riding the rollercoaster with his son next to him.
He died after falling out of his seat, while his wife and daughter watched in horror below.
The fatal accident occurred at 3:58PM on Monday afternoon, when the as-yet-unidentified man was riding the Goliath coaster. He tumbled out of his seat and slammed against the ride several times before falling onto the roof of a haunted house attraction.
Reports have also emerged that several others were injured during the horrifying ordeal, yet it is unclear exactly how many people were hurt and what the extent of their injuries is.
Following the death of the rider, the Goliath attraction was closed and customers were led to safety by park officials.
Death of man captured on souvenir picture, rider says
One witness to the event claimed that the exact moment the man fell from the Goliath rollercoaster was actually captured on their souvenir picture at the park.
Another woman seemed to confirm reports that the man was riding the coaster with his son, with his wife and daughter watching him below as he fell to his death.
An uncorroborated post by a Reddit user also claimed to be in line to ride the rollercoaster as the accident unfolded.
"'The train pulled into the station, all the riders were distressed," they wrote. "A man who was sitting next to [the person who died] was screaming that whoever was sitting next to him fell out."
In a statement following the tragedy, a spokesperson for Six Flags said that "our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest's family, friends and loved ones.
"We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected."