Six Flags officially closes X2 roller coaster after multiple severe brain injuries were reported

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Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently closed its X2 roller coaster after a series of lawsuits alleged that riders suffered severe brain injuries on the California attraction.

The Valencia theme park announced Tuesday that it had decided to retire the ride after nearly 20 years.

The ride, which Six Flags once called “a rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil,” reached 76 mph and 200 feet, with 3,610 feet of track, but has been closed since July 12 after two riders suffered life-threatening brain injuries less than a week apart.

“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement posted to the park’s website.

“Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously,” he added.

The coaster opened as X in 2002 and was redesigned with lighter trains before reopening as X2 in 2008. Its seats rotate 360 degrees as riders navigate drops, twists and inversions. Over 16 million people have ridden X2 since its 2008 reopening, Six Flags said.

However, more than 100 people allege that the two-minute, 34-second ride caused lasting brain injuries, according to a CNN investigation published last week.

Six Flags faces multiple lawsuits over the alleged injuries. CNN identified more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations associated with X2 over nearly two decades, including two deaths. Two riders suffered brain hemorrhages after riding the coaster in July, CNN reported.

Among the three most recent cases is Pamela Guillen, who visited Magic Mountain with her family in July to celebrate her daughter's 16th birthday. Guillen said she became confused and disoriented after riding X2 and later woke up in a hospital, where she learned she had suffered a traumatic brain injury and undergone emergency surgery.

“Everything went blank. My next memory is waking up in the hospital about two weeks later,” Guillen told ABC7 Los Angeles.

"I had suffered a traumatic brain injury and needed emergency brain surgery to stop the bleeding and had to be intubated. I was in a coma. I spent almost a month at the hospital," Guillen said.

Six days later, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, rode X2 and lost consciousness shortly afterward, according to her family's attorneys. She was taken to a hospital and underwent emergency brain surgery. Her family said she remained hospitalized and was unable to breathe on her own as of ABC7 Los Angeles’ report last week.

A third recent plaintiff, Michael Wick, also alleges he suffered a brain injury after riding X2. His attorney said Wick underwent two brain surgeries and is now unable to practice law because of a disability.

The recent lawsuits follow the 2022 death of Christopher Hawley, 22, who lost consciousness shortly after getting off X2 and died the following day after suffering severe brain bleeding, according to his family's lawsuit.

His parents sued Six Flags, Magic Mountain and S&S Worldwide, the company associated with the ride's trains. The family reached a settlement in August, according to KTLA.

Hilda Farias, 28, also died after riding X2 in 2010, according to court records cited by the Los Angeles Times. She developed a brain bleed that led to her death.

Six Flags has declined multiple outlets’ requests for comment, citing pending litigation.

The Independent has contacted Six Flags for comment.

The X2 closure comes as Magic Mountain prepares to open Thrill Glider in 2027. Six Flags describes it as the world’s first suspended, multi-launch Thrill Glider coaster, featuring bike-like seats, five inversions, multiple launches and speeds of up to 50 mph.