Six Flags Magic Mountain has long been home to X2, an infamously intense roller coaster that has been injuring people for years. You’d think reputation alone would get the ride shut down and revamped with new safety measures, but apparently everyone involved needed to see just how bad it could get before changes were made.
It got sufficiently bad in July, when two riders suffered brain injuries normally associated with high-speed car crashes. CNN investigated the incidents and dove into the long history of X2’s reported injuries.
X2 launches riders nearly 200 feet into the air at speeds nearing 80 miles an hour while their seats are rotating 360 degrees. Pamela Guillen allegedly lost consciousness after repeatedly hitting her head against the seat’s headrest as she rode X2 this past July. She needed emergency surgery to repair the subdural hematoma and brain compression she had been experiencing.
Just six days later, a different woman, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, allegedly suffered a similar injury after riding X2 and is currently still in a coma. Three neurosurgeons who treated the women told CNN their injuries were consistent with X2’s rapid, intense acceleration and deceleration.
Six Flags Closed X2 After Two Riders Suffered Brain Injuries Within Days
X2 has been racking up complaints for years, and these may not even be the worst injuries linked to the ride. CNN found over a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations, including two deaths, linked to X2. Between 2019 and 2022 alone, Six Flags recorded at least 70 head and neck injuries linked to the ride, with one case in 2022 resulting in the death of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley after suffering a catastrophic brain bleed.
Six Flags has long defended K2, saying it’s regularly tested and consistently meets industry safety standards, and argues that riders accept the inherent risks of amusement rides when they visit a park. Some have pointed out that industry standards may not be adequate if people are so consistently suffering severe head injuries.
X2 has been closed since July 12 in response to the nearly back-to-back brain injuries as California safety officials conduct an inspection.
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