By Rieley McDonnell
Photo by Rieley McDonnell
Kings Island guests are missing out on two of the park’s steel rollercoasters this Halloween Haunt.
Six Flags, the parent company of Kings Island, ordered the closure of nine Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) clamshell restraint roller coasters across North America after a man died earlier this month riding Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, an investigation as to what caused the incident remains ongoing, with eyewitness accounts describing a man flying out of his seat during the duration of the ride.
The man was later identified by police as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem of Atlanta, Georgia. His family reported that he was a two-time cancer survivor and had also just survived a car fire three weeks prior to his death.
Kings Island, in Mason, Ohio, has two B&M clamshell coasters: a hyper coaster Diamondback and a giga coaster Orion. However, what makes the two coasters at Kings Island different from Goliath is the presence of seatbelts.
“When I learned about the Goliath incident, it scared me a bit,” junior social work major Evelyn Polack said. “Knowing that Goliath doesn’t have seatbelts, while Diamondback and Orion do, as an extra layer of protection, makes me feel safer.”
Diamondback is a snake-themed ride which has a drop of 215 feet and was opened in 2009. Orion is a younger ride opened in 2020 and has a drop of 300 feet. It is also Kings Island’s tallest, fastest and longest steel roller coaster.
In front of both Diamondback and Orion are signs that read, “THIS ATTRACTION WILL NOT OPERATE TODAY. We apologize for the inconvenience.” These signs do not report anything about why either ride is closed, just that they will not operate.
It is uncertain when Diamondback or Orion will reopen, with no official timeline released by Six Flags.
Photo by Rieley McDonnell
“As efforts to understand the circumstances surrounding this tragic incident continue, certain rides similar to the attraction involved in Georgia remain temporarily closed out of an abundance of caution,” Kings Island Park President Tony Carovillano stated in a park update on the Kings Island website. “This includes Orion and Diamondback. All other rides and attractions that were scheduled to operate will be available to guests, subject to normal operating conditions and availability.”
B&M had not been found liable for any incidents relating to their roller coasters before the death of Kariem on Oct. 12. According to an interview found in Newsweek B&M has a “stellar safety record.”
The investigation remains ongoing as to the cause of Kariem’s death.
“Hopefully with additional safety checks and the workers receiving extra training, Dimaondback and Orion will open up again soon,” Polack said.
Kings Island hosts one other B&M coaster, a hanging, inverted coaster, named Banshee. Banshee has an over-the-shoulder restraint that buckles and leaves riders legs hanging. This ride remains open.
B&M is a Swiss-based roller coaster manufacturer who has over 100 roller coasters operating worldwide. According to B&M’s website, each their roller coasters undergoes a testing process before the public is able to ride. There is also a guarantee of lifetime servicing of the ride included with its build.
“Before welcoming the first riders, every coaster undergoes rigorous testing and commissioning. Mechanical systems, electrical components and ride dynamics are thoroughly validated,” B&M’s “About Us” page states.