‘I can’t even listen to that’: Jake reacts to witness accounts of a man’s fatal fall from Six Flags’ Goliath roller coaster

A 42-year-old Atlanta man died after being ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia on Oct. 12, according to Cobb County police. Authorities identified him as Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem and said several other people were injured during the incident, which remains under investigation.

“This is just a nightmare for this family,” KIRO host Jake Skorheim said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Honestly, prayers are going to be said for this family, and they need it.”

Jake discusses the expectation of safety

In response to the accident, Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters across six amusement parks on Monday after one person died and several others were injured in an incident involving a coaster in Georgia.

“The reason we enjoy these things is because we think it can push us to the edge of how it feels to be unsafe while still being strapped into a steel cage, so we still are actually safe,” Jake said. “That’s the only way that you could get on any of those and still enjoy them.

“People are not going to stop going on roller coasters, and you shouldn’t,” Jake continued. “You want them to be safe. And clearly, they’re going to have to investigate whether or not this one’s safe.”

Spike recalls riding with his children

Authorities and Six Flags have not yet identified the specific roller coaster Kariem fell off of, but videos of the accident that have been shared online showed passengers being evacuated from the Goliath coaster. Goliath, which was opened in 2006, reaches a top speed of 70 mph with a height of 200 feet, according to the park’s website.

“I get motion sickness on rides like that. I’ve never enjoyed them,” Spike said. “I’ve tolerated them when you’re with the kids.”

Spike recalled riding the Cyclone at Coney Island and other attractions with his child before discussing the speed and scale of larger coasters.

“These 70-mile-an-hour, 200-foot drops,” Spike said. “This thrill-seeking threshold that the designers of these coasters push these attractions to these limits of, I mean, really, it’s engineering. It really is not just human tolerance, let alone human safety.”

According to The Associated Press, the investigation had not established a restraint failure or another cause. Investigators have not yet determined how Kariem left his seat.

Hosts respond to witness accounts

After hearing another account from someone on the ride, Jake said he found the descriptions hard to hear.

“I can’t even listen to that. It feels so morbid, just thinking about it,” Jake said.

Six Flags said it was supporting affected guests and employees and cooperating with authorities. The company said it would not immediately release additional details out of respect for the family’s privacy.

Spike contrasted amusement park rides with activities where participants may knowingly accept greater risks.

“You expect that those kinds of tragedies can happen in that type of an arena,” Spike said. “But to your point, Six Flags is a national, respected, established franchise of amusement rides and parks.”

“Prayers to that family,” Jake added.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3