Technology and Science29 September, 20262 min read
Six Flags Magic Mountain Permanently Retires X2 After Brain Injury Lawsuits
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
X2 roller coaster permanently retired after nearly 20 years amid brain injury lawsuits Park cites more than 100 riders claiming brain injuries; ride closed since July
34 outlets told this the same way.
X2 retired after lawsuits
Six Flags Magic Mountain permanently retired the X2 roller coaster after the ride had been closed since July 12, with President Brian Oerding saying, "After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2." Oerding said the park decided to close the ride because it believed it was "the right thing to do," even though the company said X2 "consistently passed a multitude of safety tests." Attorneys representing plaintiffs said more than 100 people have come forward, and the lawsuits allege the X2 roller coaster caused severe brain injuries.
Court documents described Pamela Guillen and her family visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain in July for her daughter’s 16th birthday, after which Guillen said her next memory was waking up in a hospital about two weeks later. Guillen recalled, "I had suffered a traumatic brain injury and needed emergency brain surgery to stop the bleeding and had to be intubated."
Families and attorneys react
Dordick Law Corporation said it had been contacted by around 400 people alleging injuries they believed were caused by X2, and the firm also said some clients required emergency brain surgery.
Attorney Gary A. Dordick said, "Today Six Flags Magic Mountain finally did what it should have done long ago," and he added, "We will keep fighting for every rider who was injured on X2."
Naomi Greer-Wilkinson’s parents said they were still waiting for her to begin breathing on her own, and Christopher Bulone said, "Naomi, 25 years old, still hasn't come home."
Brent Wisner, who represented the family of Christopher Hawley, said the closure did not change what had happened and called for "legal reform, proactive regulation and proper governmental oversight."
BBC reporting quoted Wisner saying, "That tragedy cannot be undone," as he called for legal reform, proactive regulation and proper governmental oversight.
What comes next
Six Flags said X2 opened in 2002 under the name X and later reopened as X2 in 2008, and the ride had carried more than 16 million riders, according to the park’s statements. Attractions Magazine described X2 as a "fifth-dimension wing roller coaster" and said the 3,610-foot coaster reached 200 feet in elevation and speeds of 76 mph. The BBC said the ride had been closed since July, and it reported that a law firm representing plaintiffs said the closure came "too late" for its clients.
CNN reported that in three lawsuits filed last week, riders alleged Six Flags officials had ample notice of the alleged dangers and never should have allowed it to keep running, including 26-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson who remains in a coma. CNN quoted Greer-Wilkinson’s parents saying, "Six Flags knew years ago that X2 was putting people at grave risk and chose to continue gambling with their lives anyway."