Georgia Roller Coaster Death: How Michigan Law Treats Amusement Ride Injuries

By Koussan Law
Published October 13, 2026, 3:33 p.m. ET

Short answer: A man died and several other people were hurt on Monday, Oct. 12, after the man was ejected from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County, according to Cobb County police as reported by Atlanta outlets. Any claims from this event would be decided under Georgia law, which this page does not analyze. If a similar event happened in Michigan, the state's Carnival-Amusement Safety Act would require the ride to hold a state permit based on inspection, require the owner to report the death to the state immediately and take the ride out of service with the scene left undisturbed, and leave the operator and the ride's manufacturer open to ordinary negligence and product liability claims. What caused the ejection has not been reported, and state inspectors in Georgia are examining the equipment.

What happened

Cobb County police officers responded to an emergency call at about 3:58 p.m. on Monday at the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Police said one person died and several others were injured, Atlanta News First reported. Police identified the man who died as a 42-year-old Atlanta resident who was ejected from the coaster, CBS News reported. Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner said state inspectors and investigators were examining the equipment, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Six Flags then temporarily closed nine roller coasters at six parks, the New York Post and CNN reported. A man lost his life on an afternoon at a theme park, and others were hurt.

What we know so far

• The incident happened on Monday afternoon, Oct. 12, 2026, on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in Cobb County (WSB-TV; Atlanta News First). FOX 5 Atlanta reports the park is in Mableton and has an Austell mailing address.
• Cobb County police said one person died and several others were injured (Atlanta News First; FOX 5 Atlanta). WSB-TV later reported that officials said four others were hurt (WSB-TV via MSN).
• Police identified the man who died as a 42-year-old Atlanta resident who was ejected from the coaster (CBS News, citing police). Officials have not said what caused the ejection.
• Cobb County police Major Crimes Unit detectives responded to investigate (FOX 5 Atlanta).
• The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is responsible for ride inspections in Georgia. Commissioner John F. King said: "Safety inspectors and investigators are on the ground examining the equipment" (FOX 5 Atlanta).
• The park said it was "deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today" and was "cooperating fully with local authorities" (WSB-TV; FOX 5 Atlanta). The park was closed and guests were told to leave, Atlanta News First reported.
• Six Flags temporarily closed nine roller coasters at six parks after the incident (New York Post; CNN via MSN). Atlanta News First quoted the company as saying it had "temporarily closed similar attractions across our parks." The list published by Attractions Magazine includes parks in Illinois, California, New Jersey, Ohio, Ontario and the Carolinas, and none in Michigan.
• Goliath is a 200-foot coaster that reaches about 70 mph, according to Atlanta News First and FOX 5 Atlanta.

What has not been established

• What caused the man to leave the ride, including the condition and position of the ride's restraint and whether any part of the ride malfunctioned.
• How many people were hurt, how seriously, and how old they are. Reports range from "several" to four.
• What the Georgia inspectors find, and the ride's inspection and maintenance history. FOX 5 Atlanta said it had requested the inspection records.
• Why Six Flags chose the nine rides it closed, and when they will reopen.
• Whether any civil claim will be filed, and where.

How does Michigan regulate amusement rides?

A state permit, issued only after inspection

Michigan regulates rides under the Carnival-Amusement Safety Act of 1966, 1966 PA 225 (MCL 408.651 and following; current act text), last amended in 2022. The act is administered by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) (MCL 408.652). An owner may not operate a ride without a permit (MCL 408.660). The department must inspect a ride before it is first put into operation for public use and, apart from temporary permits, at least once a year while it operates, and it may inspect again each time a ride is taken apart and reassembled. Under MCL 408.661, a permit issues only after inspection shows compliance and the owner has the manufacturer's operating instructions, training records and an emergency response plan on site.

Required insurance

Under MCL 408.666, a ride may not operate unless the owner has obtained security against liability for injuries to riders: at least $300,000 by insurance policy or bond under MCL 408.666, with a lower $50,000 minimum under MCL 408.666 for an owner with a single ride designed primarily for children. That is a floor set by statute, not a limit on what an injured person can recover, and the owner's actual policies would be among the first records reviewed in a Michigan claim.

What has to happen after a death on a Michigan ride?

Michigan law is specific here. Under MCL 408.670, the owner or operator must immediately report to the department by telephone any accident in which a person dies or suffers a serious injury from the structural or mechanical failure of a ride, or in which "it appears that the construction, design, or function" of the ride may have directly contributed. If the department is closed, the report is due by 9 a.m. the next business day. The owner must "immediately remove the carnival or amusement ride from service, secure the scene of the accident," and not disturb the scene beyond what is needed to remove an injured or deceased person. The ride may not be released for repair or operation until an inspection finds it is not hazardous or unsafe.

That rule matters for a civil case as much as for safety. The ride, its restraint system and its control records are the central evidence in a claim like this, and the statute freezes them in place for the state's inspection. Michigan courts can sanction a party that fails to preserve evidence, and a jury may infer that missing evidence would have been unfavorable to the party that lost it (Brenner v. Kolk, 226 Mich App 149).

Who can be responsible when a ride injures or kills someone in Michigan?

The park operator

A park owes paying guests the duty owed to invitees: reasonable care to protect them from unreasonable risks, which for a ride includes operation, staffing, restraint checks, maintenance and following the manufacturer's instructions. Michigan treats an open and obvious danger as a question of comparative fault rather than a bar to the claim (Kandil-Elsayed v. F & E Oil, Inc., 512 Mich 95 (2023)). If a death results from negligence, the personal representative of the estate brings a wrongful death claim under MCL 600.2922. Damages can include medical, funeral and burial expenses, conscious pain and suffering, and the family's loss of financial support and of society and companionship; the lifetime earnings of the person who died are not recoverable (Daher v. Prime Healthcare Servs.-Garden City, LLC (Mich. July 30, 2024; Docket No. 165377)).

The ride's manufacturer and component makers

If a defect in a ride or a component is claimed, Michigan's product liability statute applies. A production defect claim requires proof that the product was not reasonably safe when it left the manufacturer's control and that a practical and technically feasible alternative was available (MCL 600.2946). Compliance with applicable government safety standards creates a rebuttable presumption against liability. Noneconomic damages in product cases are capped, and for 2026 the caps under MCL 600.2946a are $596,400, or $1,065,000 for death or permanent loss of a vital bodily function (MCL 600.2946a; Treasury notice). Those caps do not apply if the maker knew of the defect and willfully disregarded a substantial likelihood of injury (MCL 600.2949a). The cap applies to product claims; a negligence claim against a park operator is a separate claim.

What about the fine print on a ticket?

Many tickets and season passes carry release language. Michigan courts have held that a contractual waiver of liability can bar ordinary negligence claims but not gross negligence claims (Xu v. Gay, 257 Mich App 263 (2003), a published decision applying Lamp v. Reynolds, 249 Mich App 591 (2002)). Whether a given ticket term is a valid release at all, what it covers, and whether the conduct involved rises to gross negligence are questions for the specific document and facts.

How is fault shared in a Michigan ride case?

The act places duties on riders as well as operators. Under MCL 408.668, riders must obey posted safety rules and reasonable instructions, must not interfere with or fail to engage the safety devices provided, and must reasonably determine before boarding that they can ride safely. Those duties do not decide a case. Michigan uses comparative fault: a person's own share of fault reduces damages, and only a person found more at fault than everyone else combined loses noneconomic damages (MCL 600.2958; MCL 600.2959). Each defendant generally pays only its own share, and fault can be assigned to people who are not parties (MCL 600.2956; MCL 600.2957). Nothing reported so far establishes what any person or any part of the ride did in Georgia, and that is exactly what the inspection is meant to answer. The firm's guide to comparative fault in Michigan explains how the percentages work.

What the public record shows

LARA's Ski-Amusement Section in the Bureau of Construction Codes runs Michigan's ride program. Its page, checked October 13, 2026, says "Michigan has approximately 100 permanent locations of amusement rides and approximately 600 locations where transient carnivals operate," and that a device-related incident, including "mechanical failure, injury, or death," is reported to the section on its incident report form (LARA Ski-Amusement Section). LARA's 2024 safety release tells riders to look for an updated ride inspection sticker and to report unsafe conditions to a ride supervisor immediately (LARA, June 14, 2024).

Evidence that matters and how fast it can disappear

• The ride itself: in Michigan, MCL 408.670 requires the owner to take the ride out of service and leave the scene undisturbed until the state inspects. After release, repairs and modifications can change what can be learned, so a written preservation request and a joint inspection protocol matter.
• Restraint components and control system data: a coaster's restraints, sensors and control logs are central to any question about an ejection. Electronic logs may be overwritten.
• Inspection, maintenance and training records: the state permit file, the owner's maintenance logs, the manufacturer's operating instructions and the operator training records the act requires to be on site.
• Video and photos: park cameras, ride photos and guests' phone video. Business surveillance video may be overwritten within days or weeks.
• Manufacturer communications: service bulletins and any notices about similar rides, which bear on what was known and when.

Who could be legally responsible

These are possibilities under Michigan law for a similar Michigan event, not findings about this one:

• The park owner or operator: if ride operation, restraint checks, staffing, maintenance or adherence to the manufacturer's instructions fell below reasonable care and that failure led to the death or injuries.
• The ride manufacturer or a component maker: if the ride or a part was not reasonably safe when it left the maker's control, or warnings or instructions were inadequate, under MCL 600.2946 and related sections.
• A maintenance or inspection contractor: if a private company performed work on the ride negligently.
• Insurers: the liability coverage the act requires, and any larger policies, respond to covered claims.

Michigan deadlines that apply

The firm's Michigan injury deadline calculator explains how these periods are counted.

Questions people are asking

Who inspects amusement rides in Michigan? LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes, through its Ski-Amusement Section. Under MCL 408.660, a ride must be inspected before it first operates for the public and at least once a year, and it needs a state permit to run.

Can you sue an amusement park if a ride injures you in Michigan? A park can be held liable if it failed to use reasonable care in operating, maintaining or staffing a ride and that failure led to the injury. Michigan's comparative fault rules then divide responsibility among everyone involved, including any rider whose own conduct contributed.

Does the waiver on a ticket stop a lawsuit? Not always. Michigan courts have enforced valid releases against ordinary negligence claims, but a release does not bar a claim for gross negligence, and whether ticket language is a valid release depends on its terms.

Can the company that built the ride be sued? Yes, if the ride or a component was not reasonably safe when it left the maker's control. Michigan product claims carry a 3-year deadline and caps on noneconomic damages, with an exception when the maker knew of the defect and willfully disregarded the risk.

What does a Michigan park have to do after a fatal ride accident? Report it to the state immediately by telephone, take the ride out of service, secure the scene and leave it undisturbed, and keep the ride closed until an inspection finds it is not unsafe, under MCL 408.670.

Who files a wrongful death claim in Michigan? The personal representative of the estate, under MCL 600.2922. The firm's guide to wrongful death claims in Detroit covers the process.

If you are dealing with a situation like this

Ride injuries raise questions an ordinary injury claim does not: which state agency holds the inspection file, whether the ride was preserved, whether a product claim against a manufacturer belongs alongside a claim against the operator, and what any ticket terms say. A free consultation can clarify those points and which deadlines are already running. Call (313) 800-0000 or request a free consultation. Koussan Law has offices in Detroit, Dearborn Heights and Marquette, and the team speaks English, Spanish and Arabic. See the firm's pages on amusement park injuries, defective products and wrongful death claims.

Sources

1. WSB-TV Channel 2, "1 dead, Goliath ride at Six Flags Over Georgia evacuated," October 12, 2026. Read the report
2. Atlanta News First, "1 killed, several injured in incident at Six Flags Over Georgia," October 12, 2026. Read the report
3. FOX 5 Atlanta, "Six Flags Over Georgia: Witnesses describe horror as rider falls from Goliath coaster," October 12, 2026. Read the report
4. CBS News (via MSN), "Police identify Atlanta man killed after being ejected from Six Flags Over Georgia roller coaster," October 13, 2026. Read the report
5. CNN (via MSN), "Six Flags temporarily closes some roller coasters nationwide after man dies falling from ride in Georgia," October 13, 2026. Read the report
6. New York Post, "Georgia Six Flags closes 9 rides after guest falls to his death in tragic roller coaster accident," October 13, 2026. Read the report
7. WSB-TV Channel 2 (via MSN), "1 dead, 4 injured in Goliath ride incident at Six Flags Over Georgia; state launches investigation," October 13, 2026. Read the report
8. Attractions Magazine, "Six Flags fatal Goliath incident in Georgia: what the 9 closed roller coasters have in common," October 13, 2026. Read the report
9. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, "Ski-Amusement Section," checked October 13, 2026. View the page
10. Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, "Safety tips for visiting carnivals and amusement parks," June 14, 2024. Read the release

Primary law cited:

• Carnival-Amusement Safety Act: MCL 408.651, MCL 408.652, MCL 408.660, MCL 408.661, MCL 408.666, MCL 408.668, MCL 408.670; full act, as amended by 2022 PA 97
• Product liability: MCL 600.2946, MCL 600.2946a, MCL 600.2949a
• Wrongful death, fault and deadlines: MCL 600.2922, MCL 600.2956, MCL 600.2957, MCL 600.2958, MCL 600.2959, MCL 600.5805, MCL 600.5852
• Cases: Xu v. Gay, 257 Mich App 263 (2003); Lamp v. Reynolds, 249 Mich App 591 (2002); Brenner v. Kolk, 226 Mich App 149; Daher v. Prime Healthcare Servs.-Garden City, LLC (Mich. July 30, 2024; Docket No. 165377); Kandil-Elsayed v. F & E Oil, Inc., 512 Mich 95 (2023)