Witnesses speak out after Six Flags roller coaster incident in Georgia leaves one dead and several injured

A witness who was riding Six Flags Over Georgia’s Goliath rollercoaster when a man lost his life in a tragic accident has recalled hearing screams before realizing what had happened.

The accident, which happened in the Geogia-based theme park on Monday, has caused Six Flags to temporarily close nine rollercoasters across six parks 'out of an abundance of caution.'

The park did not confirm which ride the incident happened on, although local TV stations showed passengers being evacuated from Goliath.

The Cobb County police department have confirmed that several people have been injured, although it remains unclear how they sustained their injuries. Officers are still investigating the circumstances of the incident.

The entire park was evacuated following the tragic incident.

A man who was riding in the train directly behind the one involved in the Goliath rollercoaster accident has now spoken out about what he witnessed.

"We were ascending up, and that's when we heard a scream," he told 11Alive. "Then we look down and we see people running and panicking."

The man recalled 'getting stuck' as his train was ascending. At first, they weren't sure whether there was a fault with their train, or another on the tracks.

The witness believes that the train on which the man was on was evacuated first, before parkgoers on his train was taken off the ride.

On what the atmosphere was like on his train, the man continued: "We were obviously concerned. We saw all the ambulances come, we saw everyone run towards our rollercoaster and also evacuating everyone else.

"The worst part was that we were just up there for an hour with no news, no update, no nothing. We just saw everyone running out of the park."

Other witnesses claim a man was 'ejected' from the vehicle.

One witness, who was behind the man said he 'flung from the ride.'

"You don't think things like this happen, they should never happen," one witness said in tears.

Parkgoers were evacuated from the rollercoaster (11 Alive)

In a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly, a spokesperson for the park said: “We are deeply saddened by the guest incident at our park today. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the guest’s family, friends, and loved ones.

“We are also providing support to the guests and team members affected.

“The park team and local authorities responded immediately, and we are cooperating fully with local authorities as they complete their investigation.

“Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we will not be sharing additional details at this time."

Lisa Cupid, Cobb County Board of Commissioners chairwoman, added: "I cannot imagine the horror the patrons and employees witnessed today, and my heart aches for the family who lost a loved one.

"We are all grappling with how something so devastating could happen at a place that has given generations of families such happy memories."

With a height of 200 feet, Goliath travels up to 70mph and includes a ’12-story drop, followed by a heart-pounding race through a 540-degree spiral'.