Business · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Six Flags Magic Mountain Permanently Retires X2 After Brain Injury Lawsuits
Six Flags Magic Mountain permanently retires X2 after nearly 20 years amid brain injury lawsuits. Ride closed since July 12; park cites safety concerns and mounting legal claims.
14 outlets told this the same way.
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2 of 3 outlets skipped it: fox 11 says it is unknown what X2 closure will do to ongoing legal cases.
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Six Flags retires X2
Six Flags Magic Mountain permanently retired the X2 roller coaster after almost 20 years, with President Brian Oerding announcing the decision in a statement posted on the Six Flags blog. Oerding said the park was closing the ride because it believed it was “the right thing to do,” even as the company said X2 “consistently passed a multitude of safety tests.” The park said the ride had been closed since July 12 and would now stay closed, as multiple lawsuits alleged riders suffered major brain injuries after riding X2.
Attorneys for plaintiffs said more than 100 people have come forward, and the lawsuits alleged design problems dating back to when the ride first opened in 2002 under the name X. The closure followed earlier litigation tied to the death of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley after he rode X2 in 2022, a case that Six Flags Magic Mountain previously settled.
Injuries, lawsuits, and families
Pamela Guillen and her family visited Six Flags Magic Mountain in July for her daughter’s 16th birthday, and Guillen said her next memory was waking up in a hospital two weeks later after emergency brain surgery.
Guillen recalled, “Everything went blank. My next memory is waking up in the hospital about two weeks later,” and she said she was in a coma and spent almost a month at the hospital.
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.”
Gary A. Dordick said in a statement that “Today Six Flags Magic Mountain finally did what it should have done long ago,” adding that “For our clients, this decision comes too late.”
The lawsuits also described Michael Wick as having undergone two brain surgeries and being unable to practice law because of a disability, according to his attorney’s account.
What the closure changes
Six Flags said X2 opened in 2008 and had welcomed more than 16 million guests, while Oerding said the park was grateful to team members who operated and maintained the ride throughout its run. Oerding also emphasized that “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business,” and he said the park takes the decision seriously when “we see guest confidence affected.” Dordick Law Corporation said the closure “does nothing for the people who have already been hurt,” while it also said it had been contacted by hundreds of people alleging injuries they believe were caused by X2.
The park’s decision also came as the ride’s design and testing were challenged in the lawsuits, with one attorney alleging Six Flags and S&S Worldwide used outdated testing and maintenance. The closure left ongoing legal proceedings in place, and Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that it was unknown how the permanent closure would impact the ongoing legal proceedings or potential future settlements involving injured riders.