VALENCIA, Calif. – Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently retired its world-famous X2 roller coaster after nearly two decades of operation, following a wave of lawsuits alleging the extreme ride caused catastrophic brain injuries, at least one death, and left a 25-year-old woman in a prolonged coma.
Park President Brian Oerding announced the decision Tuesday, stating the coaster would stay closed after being taken offline in July. “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,” Oerding said. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”
X2, billed as the world’s first 4-dimensional coaster, featured seats that spun a full 360 degrees independently of the track while reaching speeds of about 76-80 mph. More than 16 million guests rode the attraction since its 2008 redesign.
The closure comes after attorneys reported more than 100 people came forward claiming brain injuries from the ride. In 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley collapsed after riding X2 and died the next day from blunt-force head trauma that doctors compared to shaken baby syndrome. His family recently settled a wrongful-death lawsuit.
This summer, two women suffered nearly identical severe brain hemorrhages just days apart. Pamela Guillen required emergency surgery after riding on July 5. Six days later, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson of Los Angeles collapsed after the same ride, underwent multiple brain surgeries, and remains on a ventilator in a minimally conscious state months later. Doctors attributed both injuries to a “traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event.”
Attorney Gary Dordick, representing several injured riders, called the shutdown overdue. “Today Six Flags Magic Mountain finally did what it should have done long ago. X2 is closed for good. For our clients, this decision comes too late,” he said. “We will keep fighting for every rider who was injured on X2.”
The park emphasized that X2 had passed numerous safety inspections throughout its run. Officials said the decision was driven by the impact on guest confidence rather than any failed test.The coaster’s intense design and history of reported injuries had already drawn scrutiny from state safety officials after the July incidents. Six Flags now faces multiple pending lawsuits over the ride’s alleged dangers.
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