Loved ones of Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem are remembering the Atlanta teacher killed on a roller coaster.

FOX 5 Atlanta reported that Kariem, 42, was a teacher at Wesley International Academy in the Atlanta Public Schools district. Relatives said he beat lymphoma twice. Cousin Geo Ashe called him "the sunshine of our family." Kariem grew up making summer trips to Six Flags Over Georgia. On Monday he returned with his partner, her daughter, and her niece. Relatives said the girl seated next to him was not hurt.

The BBC reported that police found Kariem under the ride after he was ejected and hit other people. The incident happened just before 4 p.m. Monday at the park west of Atlanta. Cobb County police said preliminary interviews indicate he was thrown from the ride. Georgia's insurance and safety office is investigating.

Six Flags said it was deeply saddened and closed nine rides across the U.S. and Canada as a precaution, the BBC reported. Park officials have not said what caused the fall. Few mechanical details are public yet.

The death turned a familiar family outing into a national story. Relatives asked people to remember Kariem's work with students and the meals he cooked for big family gatherings.

Six Flags Over Georgia will reopen this weekend while Goliath stays closed, FOX 5 Atlanta reported.

Amusement-park deaths are rare, which is why the case drew national attention so fast. Investigators from the state and the county still have to say whether a restraint, a seat, or something else failed. Until then, Goliath and the other closed coasters stay offline.

What we know: Kariem, a 42-year-old Atlanta educator, died after being ejected from Goliath, and nine Six Flags rides were closed.
What we don't: What caused the ejection, and whether any lasting park-safety changes will follow.