SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako roller coaster is back open to guests, one week after the park closed the ride following the death of a man at Six Flags Over Georgia on a similar coaster.
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A SeaWorld Orlando spokesperson confirmed that Mako reopened and resumed normal operations as of Tuesday. The park decided to close the coaster on Oct. 13 out of an abundance of caution following the Georgia death. Six Flags also closed nine coasters at parks in the U.S. and Canada, one of which has since reopened.
Mako and Goliath are both considered hypercoasters — with a height or drop measuring at least 200 feet — and made by the same Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard.
42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem died Oct. 12 after being thrown from his seat on the Goliath coaster onto other passengers before landing below the attraction. Police, engineers and state investigators are investigating the coaster’s restraint systems, maintenance and surveillance video to determine how Kariem was ejected from the ride.
In an earlier statement, SeaWorld Orlando said the safety of guests is a top priority and that its rides undergo regular inspections in collaboration with ride manufacturers, engineers and safety experts.
Mako opened in 2016, a decade after Goliath, standing 200 feet tall as Orlando’s tallest coaster. It can reach speeds of up to 73 mph and brings moments of weightless “airtime.” Both use a similar “clamshell” lap bar system without shoulder restraints.
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Bolliger & Mallibard is the manufacturer behind four other rollercoasters at SeaWorld Orlando: Manta, Pipeline, Penguin Trek, and Kraken. The company also built The Incredible Hulk at Universal Islands of Adventure and two coasters at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
In addition to the Goliath incident, earlier this month Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California announced the retirement of its X2 roller coaster following lawsuits alleging a brain injury and a wrongful death in 2022.
Last year, a 32-year-old Kissimmee man, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, died from blunt impact injuries after riding the Stardust Racers coaster at Universal Epic Universe. His death was ruled accidental. A Georgia woman sued Universal in August claiming her 9-year-old son suffered permanent injuries on Stardust Racers last year.
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