Six Flags Will Add Seat Belts to Goliath and Two Similar Coasters, and SeaWorld Has Not Said Publicly Whether Mako Will Get Them

Six Flags says it will add seat belts to Goliath, the Georgia coaster where a rider was killed this month, and to two more of its coasters with a similar restraint. SeaWorld Orlando's Mako is a Bolliger & Mabillard hyper coaster with similar restraints, and it reopened on Tuesday, October 20. The Associated Press asked SeaWorld on Saturday whether it plans seat belts or any other safety change for Mako, and so far SeaWorld has not answered that question publicly.

Mako's front row, with a lap restraint on a single bar between each rider's knees. Image: SeaWorld Orlando

What Six Flags announced

In a statement on Friday, October 23, Six Flags president and CEO John Reilly said: "We are reinforcing safety precautions at our parks and taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint."

Reilly's statement did not name the other coasters, but a Six Flags spokesperson told NBC News by email on Saturday night that three rides will get seat belts in all: Goliath, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure and Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America. Goliath is still closed during the state and local investigation into the October 12 death of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta, and the AP reports that eight more coasters remain closed at Six Flags parks in Illinois, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Ontario. Six Flags has not said when those rides will reopen. Reilly's statement also said Six Flags has brought in independent engineers and inspectors to look over safety procedures for every ride in the chain.

Investigators have not said what went wrong on Goliath, the AP reports.

The AP describes the restraint at the center of this as a clamshell design: a padded piece that locks down over each rider's lap and thighs, mounted atop an upright post that rises between the knees. The AP calls the seat belts an extra safeguard, added on top of that restraint. Theme Park Tribune notes that several of the coasters Six Flags closed already had seat belts alongside their clamshell restraints, including Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island, Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada's Wonderland, and Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds. Theme Park Tribune lists the same three rides the Six Flags spokesperson named as the ones getting new belts.

Where Mako stands

Mako closed on October 13, the day after the Goliath death, and was running again by Tuesday, October 20. A SeaWorld spokesperson told FOX 35 that Mako had "resumed normal operations," and FOX 35 reported that SeaWorld did not say whether Mako had been changed or would be.

Theme Park Tribune, in its story on the Six Flags announcement, describes Mako as a coaster "which does not have seat belts." It contrasts Mako with Candymonium at Hersheypark, another B&M hyper coaster that reopened after the Goliath incident and already uses them.

A Mako train cresting one of its airtime hills. Image: SeaWorld Orlando

The AP says it emailed SeaWorld on Saturday, October 24, to ask whether Mako would get seat belts or any other safety upgrade, and its story does not include a reply. It notes that SeaWorld Orlando and La Ronde in Montreal, both outside the Six Flags chain, each temporarily closed one coaster with clamshell restraints after the Georgia death. We have not found any public answer from SeaWorld on the question as of Monday afternoon, October 26.

SeaWorld's broader public statement is the one it gave WKMG News 6 in that station's Mako coverage: "The safety of our guests and team members is a top priority. Our safety staff and ride technicians strive to maintain and deliver attractions that our guests can enjoy with confidence. That work includes regular ride inspections and ongoing collaboration with ride manufacturers and other engineering and safety experts."

About Mako

Mako opened at SeaWorld Orlando in June 2016. It stands 200 feet tall and reaches up to 73 mph, and WKMG calls it the tallest and fastest roller coaster in Orlando.

Mako reflected in the lagoon at sunset. Image: SeaWorld Orlando

Our thoughts remain with Mr. Ibn Kariem's family. We will update this story if SeaWorld says whether Mako's restraints will change.

Sources

• Associated Press via PBS News, "Six Flags says it will install seat belts on Georgia roller coaster after rider's death" (October 24, 2026)
• NBC News, "Six Flags to add seat belts to three roller coasters after Georgia man falls to his death" (October 24, 2026, updated October 25, 2026)
• Theme Park Tribune, "Six Flags adding seat belts to B&M coasters after death in Georgia" (October 23, 2026)
• FOX 35 Orlando, "SeaWorld Orlando reopens Mako after temporary closure following Six Flags death" (October 21, 2026)
• WKMG News 6, "Mako coaster at SeaWorld Orlando back open after Six Flags rider death" (October 13, 2026, updated October 26, 2026)
• SeaWorld Orlando, Mako
• Parks Magic, Mako Is Running Again at SeaWorld Orlando
• Parks Magic, SeaWorld Orlando's Mako Is Closed a Day After a Rider Died on a Similar B&M Coaster

Image credits: SeaWorld Orlando (all images).