ORLANDO, Fla. — SeaWorld Orlando has temporarily closed Mako following a fatal accident on a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Mako was listed as temporarily closed in the SeaWorld app Tuesday. SeaWorld confirmed to Channel 9 that the coaster was shut down out of an abundance of caution as an investigation continues into Monday’s incident in Georgia that left one person dead and four injured.
Six Flags Over Georgia staff evacuated riders from Goliath on Monday afternoon after the park said a man fell from the ride and landed on the tracks below. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and four other riders were injured.
Goliath was manufactured by Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard, commonly known as B&M. The company also manufactured several Central Florida attractions, including Mako at SeaWorld Orlando.
According to B&M’s website, Mako and Goliath are both hyper coasters and feature similar drops, speeds and restraint systems.
SeaWorld said it is working closely with the partners involved, including B&M and Six Flags, to stay informed as the investigation continues.
Dennis Speigel of International Theme Park Services said communication among park operators is standard when safety concerns arise.
“This is the one thing that we communicate on across the board in our industry: safety,” Speigel said. “If there’s an issue at a Six Flags, that’s communicated to the other park operators and giving them exact data on what’s happening.”
Six Flags said several rides similar to Goliath at other parks are also closed because of the incident.
As of Tuesday, Mako was the only ride closed at SeaWorld Orlando.
SeaWorld said the closure is temporary but did not provide a timeline for when Mako could reopen.
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