ATLANTA (AP) — Witnesses watched in horror as a man riding a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia was ejected from his seat, almost seeming to hover above the car before hitting several people and falling to his death.
The nightmarish death prompted Six Flags to temporarily close nine similar coasters across North America.
Police and a state agency that oversees ride inspections are investigating, but many questions remained Tuesday, including how the man fell out and whether there were problems with his restraints.
The man, a school employee from Atlanta, was killed Monday while riding Goliath, the park’s tallest roller coaster with a first hill of 200 feet (61 meters).
“It looked like he was hovering because the car was moving underneath him,” said Nick Mendenhall, who had just ridden Goliath with his son and was watching the coaster cars passing overhead.