Six Flags roller coaster rider fainted before his "latch snapped," victim's niece says

The Six Flags man who fell from a roller coaster Monday and died had fainted before his "latch snapped," his niece, who was in the seat next to him on the ride, said. 

Hassan Kariem, 42, was riding the Goliath hypercoaster, a high-speed roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia, when he was thrown from the ride, killing him and injuring four others in the park, WSBTV reported. 

His niece, who was celebrating her 13th birthday at the park, called her father, Joshua Nelson, after her uncle fell. Nelson told WSBTV that his daughter said Kariem had fallen unconscious, and when the car they were in went upwards, his latch "snapped or came, came loose and he fell." 

Nelson said the ride was one of his daughter's favorite, and before the tragedy, she was excited to be at the park.