VALENCIA, Calif. — X2, the Six Flags Magic Mountain roller coaster named in multiple lawsuits alleging serious brain injuries, is being permanently closed, the park’s president announced Tuesday.
“After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2,” Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement published on the Six Flags blog.
Oerding said the ride had continued to pass numerous safety tests but would nevertheless be removed because park officials believed it was the responsible decision. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously,” he said.
The lawsuits claim riders sustained severe brain injuries after experiencing the X2 roller coaster. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say more than 100 people have contacted them.
X2 has been out of service since July 12 and will not reopen.
The legal claims allege that the coaster suffered from design issues dating to its debut in 2002, when it was known simply as X.
Court documents say Pamela Guillen and her family visited Six Flags Magic Mountain in July of this year to celebrate her daughter’s 16th birthday. Guillen said X2 was the family’s last attraction of the day.
Guillen said she felt confused and disoriented after leaving the ride. Her next memory came two weeks later, when she awoke in a hospital and learned from relatives that she had undergone emergency brain surgery.
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“I was confused and disoriented, and I remember seeing the fear in my daughter’s eyes and how scared she was,” Guillen recalled. “Everything went blank. My next memory is waking up in the hospital about two weeks later.”
Guillen is among three plaintiffs who recently filed lawsuits against Six Flags Magic Mountain, claiming they suffered serious brain injuries after riding X2.
“I had suffered a traumatic brain injury and needed emergency brain surgery to stop the bleeding and had to be intubated. I was in a coma. I spent almost a month at the hospital,” Guillen said.
Michael Wick, another plaintiff, visited the park with his family and rode X2. His attorney said Wick has undergone two brain surgeries and is now unable to practice law because of a disability.
Six days after Guillen collapsed while leaving X2, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode the coaster. Her parents said they are still waiting for her to breathe independently.
“Naomi, 25 years old, still hasn’t come home. Her parents, Artemis and Josh, are with her every single day and wonder when she’s going to be able to breathe on her own again,” said Christopher Bulone, a partner at Dordick Law.
“Magic Mountain, as a business, seems to think that it’s OK that if people voluntarily choose to ride a roller coaster, then they’ve assumed the risk. No! They don’t assume a risk of death or catastrophic brain damage for some family fun,” said Gary Dordick, owner of Dordick Law.
Six Flags Magic Mountain previously settled a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the family of Christopher Hawley. The lawsuit alleged that Hawley died after riding X2 in 2022.
