\n<\/p>\n
The horrific death of a man who was ejected from<\/a> a Six Flags roller coaster in Georgia is drawing attention to the safety of amusement park rides that have become increasingly faster and steeper in their quest for the biggest thrill.<\/p>\n Even so, deaths on roller coasters are still extremely rare, and Georgia officials have said little about what happened Monday when Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, was thrown from his seat<\/a> while riding the Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia before striking other patrons and then landing below the ride. <\/p>\n Goliath uses a sheer drop from 200 feet (61 meters) to reach top speeds of 70 mph (112 kph) and focuses on velocity and downhill plunges rather than turning riders upside down through loops or corkscrews. It has operated at the park for two decades. <\/p>\n Six Flags temporarily closed nine similar coasters across North America following the death, saying it was doing so out of an abundance of caution. <\/p>\n Ride manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard said it is \u201cactively investigating the incident and will not comment further until we have a better understanding of what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n In the U.S., roller coasters and other rides at major amusement parks such as Six Flags are not regulated by the federal government. That responsibility falls to states.<\/p>\n Some say this has led to an inconsistent patchwork of rules where some states have strict regulations and others have little to no oversight.<\/p>\n U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts has repeatedly introduced legislation to close what he calls a \u201cloophole\u201d in federal law that allows U.S. safety officials to regulate mobile rides, but prevents the Consumer Product Safety Commission from overseeing stationary rides like those at major amusement parks.<\/p>\n Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor and amusement ride safety expert, agrees that more federal regulations are needed.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s watching those in these organizations to ensure that they are adequately trained, that they are compliant, that they are monitoring these rides to the level in which the standards have established?\u201d Avery said.<\/p>\n Georgia\u2019s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, which oversees annual ride inspections in the state, is \u201cconducting an in\u2011depth and comprehensive review\u201d of what happened Monday at Six Flags, said Garrison Bennett, a spokesperson.<\/p>\n Amusement park operators worldwide generally adhere to what are known as ASTM standards set by industry experts, which cover everything from ride design and construction to how much acceleration and force each rider is allowed to experience.<\/p>\n The industry has multiple layers of inspection, said Dennis Speigel, a theme park consultant and past president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, a trade group. Park operators are under pressure from insurance carriers that could face a hefty payout if something goes wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the checks and balances that are put in place, theme parks are really one of the safest places to be on the planet,\u201d he said in a phone interview Tuesday.<\/p>\n The trade group said the chance of being seriously injured on a U.S. amusement park ride is 1 in 15.5 million rides taken.<\/p>\n Martin Lewinson, a roller coaster expert and a professor at Farmingdale State College, said it was difficult to imagine there being a mechanical malfunction on a roller coaster such as Goliath because of its design.<\/p>\n The ride features a pull-down lap restraint, called a \u201cclamshell,\u201d that works with a ratchet mechanism that makes clicking sounds as you press it down over your hips. These have multiple disks to ensure redundancy if one fails, Lewinson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re dependable. They\u2019re not so technically advanced that theme parks have difficulty with operations,\u201d Lewinson said. <\/p>\n The operator then has a safety system that displays a green \u201cgo\u201d light for every seat on the train before it can be dispatched. The train should theoretically not be allowed to proceed unless all restraints are locked, Lewinson said.<\/p>\n But few things are 100% safe.<\/p>\n