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Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently retired its X2 roller coaster following two riders suffering severe brain injuries in July and two related deaths. Park president Brian Oerding said the ride passed numerous safety tests but was closed to protect guest confidence. Pamela Guillen filed a lawsuit after becoming unconscious following an allegedly unusually rough ride, requiring emergency surgery for an acute subdural hematoma and suffering severe, permanent brain damage.
rollercoaster linked to serious brain injuries and two deaths Six Flags Magic Mountain president Brian Oerding announced the decision Tuesday , saying X2, at the park in Valencia,Download today “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.
“Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously. ” The decision comes after two riders suffered severe brain injuries within days of each other in July. Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2 rollercoaster has been permanently retired after almost two decades, following serious brain injury claims and two deaths involving riders. Your cookie settings are preventing this third party content from displaying.
X2 was billed by Six Flags as a “fifth-dimension wing roller coaster”, with seats extending out either side of the track and rotating 360 degrees independently as riders plunged 200 feet at speeds of up to 76mph. The park’s own accessibility guide describes the attraction as featuring “high-speed turns and steep drops and sudden stops,” instructing riders to keep their heads against the headrest and their arms, hands, legs and feet inside the vehicle.
Pamela Guillen was riding X2 with her daughter on July 5 when she became unresponsive after getting off the coaster. In court documents, Guillen alleges the ride was “unusually rough” and that she “lost consciousness shortly after the ride ended”. She was taken to hospital and underwent emergency surgery for an acute subdural haematoma with brain compression, with the filing describing her injuries as causing “severe, permanent brain damage”.
Speaking to CNN, Guillen described the sudden change after riding the coaster: “It was seconds. You go in as yourself and then when you come back, you’re a medical emergency. ”“She looked lifeless, not a thought behind her eyes, nothing,” she said. Credit: Dordick Law Corporation Six days later, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson collapsed after riding X2 and was also rushed to hospital for emergency brain surgery.
Greer-Wilkinson’s mother, Artemis Greer, recalled one of the surgeons “storming through the E.R. ” and yelling: “How many is it this month? They’ve got to shut that ride down. ” She said he was “furious”.
CNN reported doctors who treated both women determined their injuries were consistent with a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced on the ride, which was subsequently closed on July 12. Naomi Greer-Wilkinson pictured before riding X2 and after suffering a serious brain injury following a ride on the notorious rollercoaster. Dordick Law Corporation filed three lawsuits against Six Flags Magic Mountain on September 22, after the firm was contacted by more than 300 people reporting injuries.
Lawyers said more than 100 clients were expected to pursue Guillen is among the plaintiffs, as is Greer-Wilkinson, whose family alleges she remains severely impaired following the brain injury. X2 featured extreme forces, with riders plunging 200 feet at speeds of up to 76mph while their seats rotated independently through 360 degrees. A separate lawsuit concerns the 2022 death of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died after riding X2.
According to Hawley’s family’s lawsuit, he rode X2 with his younger brother and cousin on June 23, 2022. The complaint alleges the ride was “extremely rough” and that, as it approached the end, it “suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt”. After getting off, Hawley allegedly walked unsteadily while holding onto a railing for support and told his brother and cousin that his head hurt before collapsing.
X2 Roller Coaster Six Flags Magic Mountain Brain Injuries Ride Safety Roller Coaster Closure
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