Amusement Park News

Six Flags described the coaster as a “rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil,” but the attraction has become the subject of multiple lawsuits alleging that riders suffered severe traumatic brain injuries. The park also recently settled a wrongful-death lawsuit involving a rider who died after riding X2 in 2022.

X was manufactured by Arrow Dynamics and opened in January 2002. At the time, it was billed as the world's first fourth-dimension roller coaster, featuring seats that rotated 360 degrees independently of the train as it traveled through drops and inversions. S&S Worldwide later acquired certain assets of Arrow Dynamics and supplied new trains for the attraction's transformation into X2.

The ride featured a 215-foot drop and a top speed of 76 miles per hour. A park description told riders to “Feel your sense of direction disappear as you fly through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists,” including two “raven turns.” The park also noted that the seats extended on wings away from the track and rotated 360 degrees.

The coaster underwent several modifications during its history, most notably before reopening in 2008 as X2 with new trains and special effects including onboard audio, fog and pyrotechnics.

Most recently, the ride had been closed since the evening of July 12, one day after Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, one of two women hospitalized after riding X2 less than a week apart, collapsed after exiting the coaster and later underwent emergency brain surgery.

Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding wrote in a blog post that “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.” He added, “After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2.”

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health opened an investigation into X2 following the July incidents. The investigation remained ongoing when the permanent closure was announced.

Dordick Law Corporation says it has been retained by more than 100 people alleging traumatic brain injuries of varying severity after riding X2. The firm recently filed lawsuits on behalf of three plaintiffs: Michael Wilk, who alleges he required two brain surgeries after riding X2 in February; Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, who collapsed after riding the coaster in July and remained hospitalized and dependent on a ventilator when the closure was announced; and Pamela Guillen, who alleges she suffered a traumatic brain injury after riding X2 in July and underwent emergency brain surgery.

A separate wrongful-death lawsuit was filed by the family of Christopher Hawley, 22, who died the day after riding X2 in 2022. The medical examiner's office determined that Hawley died from blunt head trauma. Six Flags settled the lawsuit in August 2026 shortly before it was scheduled to go to trial.

According to Christopher Bulone, an attorney with Dordick Law, the ride's design is “inherently dangerous” and makes the attraction “dangerous in a way that no reasonable rider would expect” it to be.

Gary Dordick of Dordick Law said, “These people went to Magic Mountain for some entertainment, or some family fun, and they suffered catastrophic brain damage...”

The lawsuits filed by the firm allege that the ride was defectively designed and that Six Flags and other defendants failed to adequately warn riders about the risk of brain injuries. Those allegations have not been proven in court. Six Flags has declined to comment on the pending litigation.

In earlier court filings regarding X2, Six Flags argued that the ride passed applicable ASTM International standards. Those standards address aspects of amusement ride design and operation, including acceleration, loads and forces.

Bulone has argued that passing those tests does not establish that the ride could not cause the injuries alleged by the plaintiffs.

For its part, Six Flags described the special place X2 holds for the more than 16 million guests who rode it since its 2008 relaunch. Oerding noted that the coaster earned “a passionate following among ride enthusiasts…and we are grateful to our team members who operated and maintained it throughout its run.”

Dordick, responding on behalf of the plaintiffs, said, “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.” He added that the firm will “keep fighting for every rider who was injured on X2. We will hold Six Flags accountable.”

According to Dordick, the decision to close the ride came far “too late.” He said, “Hundreds of people have contacted our firm about injuries they believe were caused by X2. Closing the ride protects future guests... But it does nothing for the people who have already been hurt. Six Flags must now take responsibility for them.”

Dordick expects to file additional lawsuits in the weeks ahead.