The dark side of roller coasters: how you can fall from a height

A series of tragedies on roller coasters in the US, including the recent death of a 42-year-old man on the "Goliath" ride in Georgia, has once again raised the issue of extreme ride safety. The article lists six high-profile incidents in recent years, analyzes the possible causes of passengers falling out of their seats, and compares safety measures in North America and Europe.

An article published by Ynet on October 14 focuses on a series of tragedies on roller coasters in the US, which have drawn renewed attention after the death of a 42-year-old man on the "Goliath" ride at Six Flags Over Georgia near Atlanta. The ride reaches a height of 61 meters and a speed of up to 113 km/h. The man died in front of his wife and children, and several people were injured. The article lists six of the most high-profile incidents of the last twenty years: a derailment at Disneyland in 2003 due to mechanical failure; the mysterious death of 21-year-old Lindsey Zeno in Louisiana in 2010, the cause of which could not be determined; the death of Iraq War veteran James Hackemer, who lost both legs, after falling from a height of 46 meters at Darien Lake in 2011—staff ignored a warning sign; the death of a 52-year-old woman on the Texas Giant in 2013, who had expressed concerns about the restraint before the ride; the death of a 22-year-old man from a brain hemorrhage after riding X2 in 2022, leading to the ride's closure; and the death of 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Savala at the new Epic Universe park in Orlando in September 2025. The main question of the investigation is how a passenger could have fallen out of the seat despite safety systems. The Goliath has no individual seat belts, only a lap bar. One visitor reported that on the day of the tragedy, she did not feel securely restrained. After the accident, Six Flags temporarily suspended operations of nine similar coasters in the US and Canada, while European parks continued to operate similar rides. The article also mentions incidents in Israel, which, fortunately, did not result in fatalities.