Six Flags to install new safety restraints to Goliath, other roller coasters after deadly incident at Georgia park

Six Flags' CEO says the company will be adding seat belts to the Georgia roller coaster where a man fell to his death earlier in October.

In a letter sent Friday, CEO and President John Reilly said the safety upgrade would also be installed on other rides that used the same restraint as that on Six Flags Over Georgia's Goliath.

"We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures," Reilly wrote in part.

Witnesses told CBS News Atlanta that  42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was ejected from the ride and struck other passengers as he fell on the afternoon of Oct. 12. Four juveniles also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to local hospitals.

Investigators haven't said what went wrong on the Georgia coaster. Witnesses said they saw Kariem rise up out of his seat and fall headfirst back into the cart before being ejected. Some people who rode Goliath before him that day said they had concerns about its restraints.

Reilly didn't specify which other Six Flags coasters will get seat belts. But it has temporarily closed eight additional roller coasters at five other parks in the U.S. and Canada. Those rides all share the same manufacturer, the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, and a similar clamshell restraint system.

"We have engaged independent engineers and ride inspection specialists to comprehensively review current safety procedures across our entire portfolio of rides and attractions, across all of our parks," Reilly wrote. "We are committed to carefully evaluating their findings and taking appropriate action to further strengthen our standards and culture of safety."

While the park has reopened for its fall hours, Goliath remains closed while the park, local, and state officials investigate the circumstances behind Kariem's death. 

The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, the state agency responsible for inspecting theme park rides, says that Goliath's most recent inspection showed no safety violations or deficiencies.