Hypercoasters not regulated and more risky than ever, warn experts after Six Flags horror death

Six Flags is facing mounting criticism for their extreme thrill rides after a father plunged to his death from a roller coaster in Georgia on Monday, while riding with his son.The tragedy comes less than two weeks after Six Flags permanently retired its X2 coaster at California’s Magic Mountain amid lawsuits alleging the ride caused traumatic brain injuries.More than 100 people have come forward claiming harm from the ride, which featured rotating seats that flipped passengers during high-speed drops and turns.Two women underwent emergency brain surgery after riding it in July, according to a CNN investigation.The amusement park giant has increasingly embraced extreme, high-speed attractions, including so-called “hypercoasters”—massive rides that can stand up to 300 feet tall and fling passengers through stomach-churning drops and turns.These terror towers are big business.

In 2025, they helped lure 47.4 million visitors to the park and generated billions in revenue.But after Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after falling from Six Flags’ Goliath hypercoaster on Monday (the ride was shut down along with nine similar attractions across North America), the incidents raise a question: In the pursuit of bigger, faster thrills, are amusement parks pushing the limits of passenger safety?Amusement parks thrive on making riders feel imperiled without causing injury—but experts tell The Post that as thrill seekers demand more adrenaline than ever, safety isn’t guaranteed.David Bertozzi, president of the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, acknowledged that roller coasters aren’t failsafe, and their extreme builds have injured some riders.“They’ve gotten a little more risky, I would say, over the years,” Bertozzi told The Post.He recalled an industry push toward making rides “bigger, faster, bigger, faster,” requiring engineers to carefully calculate the G-forces—gravity forces—that passengers experience during steep drops a...