X2 roller coaster shut down at Six Flags Magic Mountain amid lawsuits
VALENCIA, Calif. -- The X2 rollercoaster, which is the subject of multiple lawsuits, has been shut down, the president of Six Flags Magic Mountain announced Tuesday.
"After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2," Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement posted on the Six Flags blog.
"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," Oerding said.
Lawsuits allege riders suffered major brain injuries after riding the X2 roller coaster. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs say more than 100 people have come forward.
X2 has been closed since July 12 and will now stay closed.
Following news of the closure, the attorney for the plaintiffs, Gary A. Dordick, released a statement that said in part:
"Today Six Flags Magic Mountain finally did what it should have done long ago. X2 is closed for good. For our clients, this decision comes too late. ... We will keep fighting for every rider who was injured on X2. We will hold Six Flags accountable."
The lawsuits allege the ride had design problems dating back to when the ride first opened in 2002, originally called X.
According to court documents, Pamela Guillen and her family visited Six Flags Magic Mountain in July of this year for her daughter’s 16th birthday. Guillen said X2 was the family’s final ride of the day.
After exiting the ride, Guillen said she felt confused and disoriented. Her next memory was waking up in a hospital two weeks later and learning from her family that she had undergone emergency brain surgery.
"Everything went blank. My next memory is waking up in the hospital about two weeks later," Guillen recalled. "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 is one of three people who recently filed lawsuits against Six Flags Magic Mountain alleging they suffered major brain injuries after riding X2.
Another plaintiff, Michael Wick, visited the park with his family and rode X2. Wick’s attorney said he has undergone two brain surgeries and is now unable to practice law because of a disability.
Six days after Guillen collapsed while exiting X2, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode the roller coaster. Her parents said they are still waiting for her to begin breathing on her own.
"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 with Dordick Law.
Magic Mountain has previously settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Christopher Hawley. That lawsuit alleged Hawley died after riding X2 in 2022.
