Six Flags permanently closes X2 in California after mounting brain injury claims and safety scrutiny

Six Flags has permanently retired the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California after mounting allegations of serious brain injuries, multiple lawsuits and scrutiny over the ride’s safety history. The attraction had already been closed since July following two severe medical emergencies involving riders, and attorneys now say they represent more than 100 people alleging brain injuries associated with X2 during the past two years. Six Flags says the ride consistently passed numerous safety tests but concluded that permanently closing it was the appropriate decision after concerns affected guest confidence.

X2 was one of the signature attractions at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, northwest of Los Angeles. The unconventional coaster features seats positioned outside the track that rotate 360 degrees independently as riders move through steep drops and inversions at speeds of roughly 76 mph, creating a ride experience dramatically different from a traditional roller coaster.

The permanent closure comes amid three recently filed lawsuits alleging catastrophic brain injuries, including one involving Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, who remains hospitalized after suffering extensive brain bleeding following a ride in July. Another rider, Pamela Guillen, required emergency brain surgery after collapsing following her own X2 ride less than a week earlier. The allegations have intensified questions about how amusement rides are tested, how injury patterns are identified and when operators should close attractions even when existing engineering standards indicate they comply with safety requirements.

Six Flags says X2 repeatedly passed safety tests but guest confidence had been damaged

Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said the company decided to permanently retire X2 after nearly two decades in its current form, emphasizing that ride safety remained central to the company’s operations. He said the attraction had consistently passed multiple safety evaluations but acknowledged that concerns surrounding the ride had affected public confidence.

The original attraction opened as X in 2002 before undergoing a major overhaul and relaunching as X2 in 2008. Since that relaunch, more than 16 million people have ridden it, according to Six Flags, making the coaster one of Magic Mountain’s most recognizable attractions and a destination for roller-coaster enthusiasts internationally.

Six Flags describes X2 as an extreme multidimensional coaster with winged seats that rotate independently from the train. The park’s own promotional materials emphasize its head-first drops, inversions and deliberately disorienting experience, presenting the ride as one intended for particularly experienced thrill seekers.

The company has maintained that extensive inspection and maintenance procedures were applied to the attraction. Previous testing following serious incidents also found forces generated by the coaster remained within standards used for amusement rides, according to testimony and records described in court proceedings.

Those findings have become central to the broader dispute because plaintiffs argue that technical compliance with existing standards does not necessarily establish that the ride was safe for passengers. The lawsuits allege that repetitive acceleration, deceleration and head movement could expose riders to forces capable of causing internal brain injuries even without a collision or obvious mechanical failure.

Two July medical emergencies intensified scrutiny of the X2 roller coaster

The most immediate concerns emerged after two women suffered severe brain injuries following separate rides on X2 in July. Pamela Guillen visited Magic Mountain with her family and became confused and unresponsive after riding the coaster before collapsing and being taken to a hospital, according to her lawsuit. Doctors discovered significant bleeding inside her skull, requiring emergency surgery.

Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode X2 less than a week later and also collapsed after leaving the attraction. Doctors found extensive intracranial bleeding, and she required emergency brain surgery before remaining hospitalized with profound neurological injuries. Her family subsequently sued Six Flags and the manufacturer connected with the ride’s coaster cars.

The ride closed on July 12 and never reopened. California safety authorities began examining the attraction while public scrutiny increased over whether the two cases represented isolated medical events or part of a wider pattern involving riders.

A third plaintiff, attorney Michael Wilk, alleges he developed severe headaches, dizziness, memory problems and cognitive decline after riding X2 earlier this year. Medical testing later revealed extensive bleeding and swelling, and his lawsuit says he required multiple surgeries and remains unable to return to his previous legal career.

The claims remain allegations being litigated in court, and Six Flags has generally declined to discuss the specific lawsuits while they are pending. That distinction remains important because individual injuries and their precise causes have not been conclusively determined across every case.

Attorneys say more than 100 riders have reported brain injuries linked to X2

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs say more than 100 people have contacted them alleging brain injuries after riding X2 within the past two years. The legal team argues that the number of reported cases indicates a broader pattern rather than a small number of unrelated medical incidents.

Those claims range in severity and have not all been independently verified or filed as lawsuits. Some involve comparatively limited symptoms, while others involve allegations of lasting neurological impairment, hospitalizations and emergency surgery.

Recent investigative reporting examining medical records, depositions and court filings identified more than a dozen previous serious injuries and hospitalizations connected with the attraction over its operating history. Records also identified at least two deaths following rides on X2, although the circumstances surrounding those cases and the extent to which the coaster caused the deaths have been subjects of legal dispute.

The most prominent earlier case involved 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died in 2022 after riding X2. The medical examiner determined that his death resulted from blunt head trauma, and his family alleged in a wrongful-death lawsuit that the violent movement of the attraction caused fatal brain bleeding. Six Flags recently settled the case without establishing liability through a trial.

Court records from that case also examined whether the coaster’s head restraints and maintenance procedures adequately protected passengers against forces generated during the ride. Six Flags has previously disputed claims that X2 was inherently dangerous and pointed toward inspections showing the ride complied with applicable standards.

Safety inspections raise questions about whether existing standards are sufficient

One of the larger issues emerging from the X2 controversy is whether current amusement-ride standards are capable of identifying every type of potential injury. Traditional inspections concentrate heavily on mechanical integrity, restraints, track condition and whether measured forces remain within accepted engineering limits.

In the Hawley case, an engineer involved in testing X2 said acceleration forces remained within amusement-industry standards adopted by California regulators. State inspectors also examined restraints and head padding before allowing the attraction to resume operating after the 2022 incident.

Plaintiffs argue that those measurements do not adequately account for the unusual motion produced by X2’s independently rotating seats. Their lawsuits contend that rapid changes in acceleration and direction can cause passengers’ heads to move violently, potentially creating brain injuries even when the ride itself is functioning exactly as designed.

That creates a difficult regulatory question because a ride can technically operate according to its approved specifications while still generating allegations that the underlying design presents unacceptable risks. Regulators must therefore distinguish between mechanical malfunction, inadequate maintenance and possible dangers associated with a ride’s intended movement.

The X2 dispute could consequently influence how amusement parks and regulators evaluate highly complex attractions in the future. If lawsuits establish that riders can experience catastrophic injuries while a coaster remains within existing force limits, pressure could grow to reassess those standards rather than focusing exclusively on whether individual rides comply with them.

Permanent X2 closure could intensify scrutiny across the US amusement park industry

The closure has broader implications because modern roller coasters increasingly compete by offering more intense acceleration, taller drops, unconventional seating positions and new forms of movement. Parks market those characteristics as entertainment, but every increase in complexity creates additional variables for designers, regulators and medical researchers to evaluate.

Most major amusement rides operate without serious injuries, and a dramatic ride experience does not by itself indicate that an attraction is unsafe. The controversy surrounding X2 instead illustrates the challenge of identifying when individual incidents begin to form a pattern requiring additional investigation.

Operators also face competing pressures when questions emerge. Immediately closing a popular attraction can produce substantial financial costs and disappoint visitors, while keeping a ride operating after repeated serious incidents can increase legal exposure if later evidence indicates earlier warning signs were ignored.

Six Flags has now resolved that calculation by permanently removing X2 from operation. The decision does not determine liability in pending lawsuits, but it guarantees that no additional passengers will ride the attraction while those disputes continue.

The closure could also influence how parks communicate risks. Warning signs generally advise people with certain medical conditions not to ride intense attractions, but plaintiffs in the X2 litigation argue that visitors cannot reasonably be expected to assume the possibility of catastrophic brain injury when entering a family amusement park.

X2 leaves behind a complicated legacy for Six Flags Magic Mountain

For enthusiasts, X2 was considered one of the most unusual roller coasters ever built. Its rotating seats and unusual track configuration made the experience unpredictable compared with conventional coasters and helped turn it into one of Magic Mountain’s defining attractions.

That popularity explains why its retirement carries significance beyond the lawsuits. More than 16 million rides were recorded after its 2008 transformation, and many coaster enthusiasts regarded X2 as one of the primary reasons to visit the Southern California park.

Its final years, however, will increasingly be associated with injury allegations and questions about whether warning signs should have prompted earlier action. Families involved in the lawsuits have welcomed the permanent closure while arguing that it should have happened sooner.

What happens next will depend partly on litigation and ongoing regulatory reviews. The lawsuits could reveal additional internal maintenance records, injury reports and testing data that provide a clearer picture of what Six Flags knew about reported incidents and how the company responded.

For now, the company has made its most consequential decision possible regarding the attraction. X2 will not reopen, ending the run of one of America’s most recognizable extreme roller coasters while leaving unresolved legal and regulatory questions about how amusement-ride safety should be measured.

Key takeaways from Six Flags’ permanent closure of X2 in California

• Six Flags has permanently retired the X2 roller coaster at Magic Mountain in California after mounting safety scrutiny and allegations of serious brain injuries.
• X2 had remained closed since July following separate medical emergencies in which Pamela Guillen and Naomi Greer-Wilkinson suffered extensive brain bleeding.
• Attorneys say they represent more than 100 people alleging brain injuries associated with X2 during the past two years, though the claims vary and remain subject to verification.
• Three recently filed lawsuits accuse Six Flags and companies connected with the attraction of allowing X2 to operate despite alleged warning signs involving earlier injuries.
• A previous case involved 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, whose 2022 death from blunt head trauma became the subject of a wrongful-death lawsuit later settled by Six Flags.
• Six Flags says X2 repeatedly passed safety tests and complied with established standards, but the company decided closure was appropriate after guest confidence was affected.
• The case is raising wider questions over whether existing amusement-ride standards adequately account for neurological injuries caused without an obvious mechanical failure.
• X2 had carried more than 16 million guests since its 2008 relaunch and was one of Six Flags Magic Mountain’s most recognizable attractions before its permanent retirement.