ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Tributes are pouring in for a beloved Atlanta teacher who died at Six Flags Over Georgia on Monday.

Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, died after falling from the Goliath roller coaster, according to the Cobb County Police Department. Investigators said he was ejected from the ride and struck other patrons before falling beneath the attraction.

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Siblings Soledad Gomez and Juan Pablo Gomez remember Kariem as their computer lab teacher.

“My heart dropped, and I just couldn’t believe it,” said Soledad Gomez, a former student of Kariem at Wesley International Academy.

“And it made me stop for a moment because that was my teacher,” said Juan Pablo Gomez.

The Gomezes said they will remember most his smile and the attention he showed in their lives.

“He was just one of those teachers you remember, and I just, I just wished it was, it had a different outcome, because it really like broke my heart,” said Soledad. “I never had a teacher pass away that I personally had a connection with. So it was just very shocking and very sad.”

“It was a smile. It was just his joy. I always just remember his smile and his glasses, and it’s just like, he never got mad at us. He was always patient with us. He would joke with us,” Soledad said.

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In a statement, Wesley International Academy Executive Director Jason Marshall said, “The Wesley International Academy community is devastated by the loss of Hassan Kariem, affectionately known as Mr. Kariem, who was a beloved colleague, friend, and integral part of the Wesley family for more than 12 years.”

“We all love being in that class, especially on Fridays, which I think he was the first person to call it Fun Fridays,” remembered Juan Pablo.

The Gomezes said Kariem became their career motivation. Juan Pablo is majoring in information technology. Soledad is finishing her elementary education degree.

“Teaching is not an easy job, and so I really hope that I can do him justice and honor him really well because he did a great job for us, and I hope to do the same for my future students,” said Soledad.

“And I think that his class was probably like the first like hint of like I like this. I might want to do this in the future,” said Juan Pablo.

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“This is absolutely tragic,” said Caleb Booth, a former ride operator at Six Flags Over Texas.

As a former ride operator at Six Flags Over Texas, Booth said he was trained to operate different thrill coasters and rides, some similar to Goliath.

He says Goliath is a hyper coaster, where the tallest point is at least 200 feet.

Booth said riders are usually locked in with a clamshell restraint. Operators are in charge of making sure the restraints are positioned correctly for everyone.

“Usually, you’re going to hear quite a few clicks before you get to what we refer to as a minimum verification position,” Booth said. “Essentially the ride’s computer makes sure that every single restraint is far enough down such that it’s OK sending the train out of the station and continuing on through the course.”

“So a lot of times, what will happen is if we don’t meet that minimum verification, we’ll ask the operator to go ahead, unlock those restraints. We’re going to ask the rider to go ahead and sit all the way back in their seats, and then we’ll try that again,” explained Booth.

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Secondary restraints, such as seat belts, are seen in certain models, according to Booth.

“I would be hesitant to immediately jump to it was the restraint that failed. We simply don’t know. There’s not enough evidence yet,” said Booth.

Booth said riders falling off are a rare occurrence. Booth said during his training and extensive interest in coasters, he learned that rides have redundant systems in place, from various sensors that will tell the ride’s computer and operator if there are issues or warning signs before taking off and during the ride.

“If even the slightest thing goes wrong, most operators are trained to respond to that in such a way that keeps everybody safe,” Booth said.

Booth said the coaster training felt sufficient for him, which included multiple run-throughs with a supervisor present and a test.

The tragic accident has left students remembering Kariem as an amazing educator.

“As someone who loved his job and loved his students, and was really passionate about you know what he did,” Soledad said.

“Always as like the cool teacher that everybody would want to go to,” Juan Pablo said.

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