If you follow coaster YouTube, you know the formula. Creators hit the parks, film their ride POVs, and break down everything from the airtime to the ride ops. It’s usually all in good fun.
This week, one of those videos took a serious turn.
A clip shot at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia, appeared to show a popular coaster creator and his ride partner on the park’s wooden coaster Grizzly with their lap bars barely closed. It surfaced just about a month after a man died at Six Flags Over Georgia, and now Six Flags, which owns Kings Dominion, says it’s reviewing the footage.
ParkFans.net did get a copy of the footage and shared it on X: “A thoosie YouTuber with over 80k subs, CoasterDash, just posted a video in which he promotes riding @SixFlags’s/ @KingsDominionVA’s wooden coaster, Grizzly, in a WILDLY and OBVIOUSLY dangerous manner. Original video is still live on his YouTube channel, but 🖼️ & 📽️ just in case:”
A thoosie YouTuber with over 80k subs, CoasterDash, just posted a video in which he promotes riding @SixFlags’s/@KingsDominionVA’s wooden coaster, Grizzly, in a WILDLY and OBVIOUSLY dangerous manner. Original video is still live on his YouTube channel, but 🖼️ & 📽️ just in case: https://t.co/Pu6BStRZGV
— ParkFans.net (@ParkFansNetwork) November 10, 2026
Here’s everything we know.
What Went Down
- Who: Marc Engel, the creator behind the CoasterDash YouTube channel, and a ride partner.
- Where: Grizzly, the wooden roller coaster at Kings Dominion.
- What the video showed: According to Entertainment Weekly, which saw the original video, both lap bars in their car were sitting nearly fully open above their fastened seatbelts.
- When it posted: Monday, as part of a full-length vlog. The Grizzly segment was later apparently edited out.
- When it was filmed: Six Flags believes it was filmed in August 2026, before the October 12 death at Six Flags Over Georgia.
- What happens now: Six Flags says it’s “conducting a thorough review.”
Caught on Camera: What They Said
Here’s how the moment played out in the video, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Before the ride: “I am super excited to get back on this coaster,” Engel said.
The reveal: As the camera tilted down to show the lap bars, he asked, “Guys, are we serious? Why?”
The reaction: His ride partner chimed in, “Shout-out to the ride op!”
The review: Afterward, Engel called it the “best ride I’ve ever had on Grizzly” and said “the ride operators gave us the most room I’ve ever had on any coaster in my life.”
The kicker: His companion added, “this is not even a useful review, because this is such a unique experience on this ride.”
Entertainment Weekly said it reached out to Engel for comment.
So, What Is Six Flags Saying?
Did Six Flags respond? Yes. A public relations manager told Entertainment Weekly, “The safety of our guests and team members is our highest priority.”
When does Six Flags think this was filmed? The company said it’s “aware of the video circulating online that we believe was filmed in August 2026.” That would put it before the Georgia incident.
Has the review turned up anything? No findings have been shared publicly that we’ve seen. Six Flags only said it is “conducting a thorough review.”
Was Grizzly shut down after Georgia? No. Grizzly isn’t one of the coasters Six Flags closed following the October incident.
Is Six Flags making any changes? Across the chain, Six Flags has said it will add secondary seatbelts, used in addition to the main restraints, on rides similar to Goliath.
Grizzly by the Numbers
1975: The year Kings Dominion opened in Doswell, Virginia. It’s now part of Six Flags after the company’s merger with Cedar Fair.
1982: Grizzly debuted on March 27, making it 44 years old.
2: Trains on the ride, built by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters.
28: Riders per train, seated two across in seven cars.
Restraints: Lap bars.
2022: The year a major refurbishment began after Labor Day. Grizzly reopened in 2023.
Fun fact: the ride’s layout is closely modeled on the Wildcat, a long-gone coaster at Cincinnati’s Coney Island.
Why Everyone Is Paying Attention
This video didn’t land in a vacuum. It’s been a heavy few months for Six Flags.
The Goliath tragedy: On October 12, a man died after falling from Goliath, the 200-foot coaster that opened at Six Flags Over Georgia in 2006. Cobb County police said in preliminary findings that he was ejected from his seat. Six Flags said it was “deeply saddened” and offered “heartfelt condolences” to his family, friends, and loved ones.
The closures: According to Entertainment Weekly, Six Flags then closed 10 coasters, including Goliath in Georgia, Diamondback and Orion at Kings Island, Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure, Fury 325 and Thunder Striker at Carowinds, and Behemoth and Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland. Magic Mountain’s Goliath, built by Giovanola, has since reopened. SeaWorld Orlando also briefly closed its hypercoaster Mako “out of an abundance of caution.”
The X2 closure: Before the Georgia incident, three lawsuits had been filed against Six Flags amid more than 100 alleged brain injuries tied to X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. The park is now closing the ride after 22 years. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously,” park president Brian Oerding said.
The big picture on safety: A 2024 report from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions and the National Safety Council found fewer than two reported injuries per million rides.
Over to You, Coaster Fans
We’ll keep you posted if Six Flags shares the results of its review. And here’s a friendly reminder we’ll never stop repeating: if your restraint ever feels loose, flag down a ride operator before the train leaves. No ride review is worth the risk.
Now we want to hear from you. Have you ever noticed a loose lap bar on a coaster? Did you speak up? Has this fall changed how you feel about riding big coasters? Share your experiences in the comments, and please keep the conversation respectful for the family in Georgia.
