📅 Date: September 29, 2026
📍 Location: Valencia, California
📰 Source: CNN
🏷️ Topic: Six Flags X2, roller coaster injuries, brain-injury lawsuits
Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently retired its famous X2 roller coaster following a series of lawsuits and injury claims involving riders who say they suffered serious brain injuries after riding the attraction.
The park announced Tuesday that the nearly 20-year-old ride would be permanently closed. Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said X2 had consistently passed numerous safety tests but that the company decided to retire it after concerns about guest safety and confidence.
X2 had already been closed since July 12, after two women suffered severe brain injuries within days of riding the coaster. One of them, Pamela Guillen, required emergency brain surgery after suffering a severe brain bleed. Another rider, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, also experienced massive bleeding in the brain and remains in a severely impaired condition, according to reports.
CNN’s investigation found that X2 had been linked to more than a dozen serious injuries and hospitalizations over nearly two decades, including two deaths. Attorneys representing riders have said more than 100 people have come forward during the past two years claiming they suffered brain injuries after riding the attraction.
The ride has also become the subject of multiple lawsuits. Three lawsuits filed in September allege that X2 caused traumatic brain injuries to riders. One of the cases involves Guillen, while another concerns Greer-Wilkinson. A third lawsuit was filed by Michael Wilk, who alleges he experienced serious neurological problems after riding the coaster.
X2 first opened in 2002 as X, billed as the world’s first fourth-dimension roller coaster. It was later redesigned and reopened as X2 in 2008 with rotating seats and additional effects. The ride could reach approximately 76 mph and featured seats capable of rotating 360 degrees as the train moved along the track.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health opened an investigation following the July incidents, and that investigation remains ongoing. The permanent closure does not resolve the lawsuits or determine whether the ride caused the injuries alleged by individual riders.
Six Flags has maintained that X2 passed required safety tests. The company has not acknowledged that the ride caused the alleged injuries, while attorneys for the riders argue that the growing number of complaints warrants further scrutiny.
The legal cases are expected to continue even though the attraction will no longer operate. Attorneys representing alleged victims have said the closure addresses future guest safety but does not resolve claims involving people who say they were already injured.
CNN Original Article
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📅 Date: September 29, 2026
📍 Location: Valencia, California
📰 Source: CNN
🏷️ Topic: Six Flags X2, roller coaster injuries, brain-injury lawsuits
