A man died Monday after being ejected from the Goliath rollercoaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, located about 15 miles from Atlanta. Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, an Atlanta resident, was found unresponsive beneath the ride just before 4 p.m. local time.

Cobb County Police said preliminary information from witness and employee interviews indicates Kariem was ejected from the ride, struck other patrons, and fell beneath the attraction. Aerial footage from news helicopters showed the Goliath rollercoaster stopped midway with riders being helped off by workers.

Multiple witnesses described seeing an empty seat with a loose safety bar when the ride returned. One witness told CNN she saw a girl covered in blood. A husband and wife who were on the ride told local media 11 Alive that workers had checked their safety harnesses before departure, and that Kariem fell from the ride and was struck by it. Another witness, Brittany Landry, told Fox News she was in tears after seeing what she believed was the man ejected from the ride.

Six Flags said it was temporarily closing nine rides across the US and Canada as a precaution. The park issued a statement expressing condolences to the man's family and loved ones. The Cobb County Police Department and the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, which enforces amusement park safety in Georgia, are investigating the incident.

Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor specializing in amusement ride operations, told the BBC that rollercoasters are not federally regulated, leaving safety protocols and maintenance procedures to individual states. He noted that one of the main design factors for rollercoasters is containing the rider through proper harness placement, which varies by ride type.

Six Flags operates 20 amusement parks, 14 water parks and nine resorts across Canada, the US and Mexico. According to the Doan Law Firm, which tracks amusement park accidents, this is at least the seventh death at Six Flags Over Georgia. The Goliath ride, which opened in 2006, reaches speeds of 70 mph and features a 540-degree spiral.

This incident comes weeks after Six Flags' park in southern California retired the X2 rollercoaster following more than 100 allegations of brain injuries from riders. Six Flags said the ride had passed safety tests but decided to retire it.