Since its opening in 1967, Six Flags Over Georgia has provided millions of guests with fun for the whole family, entertaining with shows, food and, of course, rides. Although the park’s attractions are usually considered to be safe, enough accidents have occurred to cause concern. Compared to parks like Universal Studios and Disney World, Six Flags has more accidents than both corporations combined. While some of the incidents were completely unavoidable, some were caused by negligence at the hands of the park operators. This is a timeline of all the deaths and incidents at Six Flags Over Georgia.
1978:
A 12-year-old boy injured his arm after getting stuck between the loading platform and one of the Riddler Mindbender cars that was going 5 miles per hour. According to an article from the Daily Oklahoman, the boy “sustained maiming and grossly disfiguring injuries.” His father filed a $1 Million lawsuit against the park.
1984:
MAY: Due to a computer malfunction on the Great Air Racer, a vehicle dropped from the sky abruptly, causing four riders to be injured.
JUNE: Four people were taken to the hospital after a mechanical malfunction on the Riddler Mindbender caused a ride car to stop abruptly.
AUGUST: A teenage worker fell 25 feet from the Log Jamboree flume ride. He suffered from a concussion and lacerations to the body.
1989:
An 11-year-old boy became unresponsive after riding Z-Force. Park employees attempted to give CPR, but the child was pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital. The medical examiner was unable to determine the cause of death.
1990:
A local woman suffered a broken neck while riding the Georgia Cyclone roller coaster. According to the woman’s attorney, “She heard cracking in her neck. She couldn’t move. She just held her head back against the seat until the ride stopped.” The Six Flags spokesman at the time, Bob Maxwell, vowed that there was no ride malfunction.
2002:
A 58-year-old employee was killed after entering a locked “no-access” area under the Batman roller coaster. His cause of death was due to being struck in the head by the dangling legs of a rider. The rider, a 14-year-old girl, was hospitalized with leg injuries but later released.
2006:
A visitor from Alabama died of a heart attack after riding the Goliath roller coaster. The man had an unknown congenital heart condition, and this was determined as the cause of death.
2008:
Asia Leeshawn Ferguson, a visitor from North Carolina, was decapitated by the Batman roller coaster while trying to retrieve his hat from a restricted area. The hat had fallen under one of the ride’s main dips while he was riding, and the 17-year-old scaled two six-foot-tall fences to get it back. He was struck in the head by one of the trains and was subsequently decapitated.
2009:
Four children became ill after getting stuck on the Wheelie spinning ride after the ride operator failed to engage the emergency brake. They continued to spin for ten minutes after the attraction failed to stop after its first cycle. According to the operator, she didn’t follow emergency protocol due to a “miscommunication” from her supervisor.
2014:
A 14-year-old girl died after being exposed to a lethal amount of chlorine at the Six Flags waterpark, Hurricane Harbour. She had extreme difficulty breathing for two months before she passed away at Egleston Children’s Hospital in 2014.
2018:
Two employees were taken to the hospital after a Six Flags Railroad train car caught fire.
2019:
The Six Flags Railroad train engine derailed from the track and tipped over. According to park officials, no riders were injured.
What’s next?
Six Flags Over Georgia will reopen on March 5th for the Spring 2022 season. As tickets go on sale, remember to be diligent with how you act at theme parks and what companies you trust when it comes to your safety. Although there hasn’t been a major accident since 2019, it’s important to think when it comes to fun.
