Six Flags Pulls the Plug on the X2 Roller Coaster Linked to 100+ Brain Injury Claims: ‘It’s the Right Thing to Do’
Magic Mountain is retiring the popular ride after a string of lawsuits, including a wrongful-death case that it just settled.
One of the world’s most intense roller coasters has seen its last ride. Six Flags Magic Mountain in California is permanently closing X2 after a wave of lawsuits alleging it caused serious brain injuries, the Associated Press reports. “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,” park president Brian Oerding said.
The Six Flags X2 ride has been shut down since July, when two women were rushed to the hospital after riding it less than a week apart. One, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, needed emergency brain surgery and remains in a vegetative state. Her family’s suit is one of three filed last week, and their attorneys say more than 100 people have claimed brain injuries from the coaster in the past two years.
In August, Six Flags settled a wrongful-death suit from the family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after riding X2 in 2022. X2 debuted in 2002 as the world’s first “fourth-dimension” coaster, with seats that rotate 360 degrees at speeds up to 76 mph.
One of the world’s most intense roller coasters has seen its last ride. Six Flags Magic Mountain in California is permanently closing X2 after a wave of lawsuits alleging it caused serious brain injuries, the Associated Press reports. “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,” park president Brian Oerding said.
The Six Flags X2 ride has been shut down since July, when two women were rushed to the hospital after riding it less than a week apart. One, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, needed emergency brain surgery and remains in a vegetative state. Her family’s suit is one of three filed last week, and their attorneys say more than 100 people have claimed brain injuries from the coaster in the past two years.
In August, Six Flags settled a wrongful-death suit from the family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after riding X2 in 2022. X2 debuted in 2002 as the world’s first “fourth-dimension” coaster, with seats that rotate 360 degrees at speeds up to 76 mph.
