Six Flags retires X2 coaster, closed since July, as riders allege brain injuries

Six Flags Magic Mountain said Tuesday it will permanently close X2, the rotating-seat roller coaster that has been shut since July 12 and is now the subject of lawsuits from riders alleging serious brain injuries.

“After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2,” park President Brian Oerding said in a statement posted to the company’s website.

Mr. Oerding said the ride has welcomed more than 16 million guests since its 2008 makeover. He said it consistently passed safety tests but that the park decided to close it because guest confidence had been affected. The statement did not mention the lawsuits.

Three lawsuits were filed this month against Six Flags and S&S Worldwide, a manufacturer of the ride. They accuse the companies of operating a defectively designed coaster and failing to warn riders of the risk of serious brain injury. The allegations have not been established by a court or regulator.

The plaintiffs include Pamela Guillen, who says she suffered a brain hemorrhage after riding on July 5, and the parents of Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, who allege their daughter was left bedridden with minimal consciousness after riding on July 11. A third plaintiff, attorney Michael Wilk, says he needed emergency surgery for intracranial bleeding after a February ride.

Attorney Gary Dordick said more than 100 other people have retained his firm, reporting brain injuries after riding X2 within the past two years. He said the firm plans to file additional lawsuits on their behalf. Those clients have not yet sued.

Attorney Christopher Bulone said Six Flags says the ride passes safety tests, “yet, time after time, innocent people are coming off the ride with permanent brain damage.” He argued that the testing standards are outdated and were not designed to measure the rotational forces on a ride like X2.

Six Flags has declined to comment on the litigation, citing company policy. In earlier court filings, it argued that the coaster met industry safety standards.

X2 debuted in 2002 as X, billed as the world’s first fourth-dimension roller coaster, with seats that rotate 360 degrees. It reopened as X2 in May 2008 with new trains and effects. It reaches 76 mph and has a 215-foot drop.

The ride was also the subject of an earlier wrongful-death case. Christopher Hawley, 22, died in 2022 after riding X2. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled his death resulted from “accidental blunt head trauma.” His family reached a confidential settlement with Six Flags last month, according to NBC Los Angeles.