Complaints of serious brain injuries in riders span two decades
A notorious rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Santa Clarita, California, has been closed following claims that two people have suffered from brain injuries from riding it. An investigation by CNN found a dozen serious complaints over two decades, including customers who suffered life-altering disabilities or fell into comas after riding X2, with two dying of their injuries.
The Six Flags Magic Mountain website describes the X2 rollercoaster as a “right (sic) of passage for the ultimate daredevil”. What distinguishes this type of rollercoaster from others is its fourth-dimensional quality, meaning seats are rotating 360 degrees around the track, turning riders upside down, as the trains reach speeds of nearly 80mph for approximately two minutes.Pamela Guillen said that she lost consciousness after banging her head against the seat’s headrest “multiple times” during an X2 ride in July. A CT scan revealed she had a severe subdural haematoma (bleeding inside the brain) and brain compression. Now, after learning to walk and talk again, she suffers from headaches and relies on medication to prevent seizures. “I’m taking it a day at a time to not overwhelm myself and to not go into a dark hole of mourning who I was and what I was able to do before this,” she told CNN.A few days later, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode the X2 and also lost consciousness. She was hospitalised with a traumatic brain injury and remains in a coma. Her parents have been told to prepare for the worst, according to reports. Her father said that whoever decided to keep X2 open after the first July incident “has a lot to answer for,” and declared, “It’s got to stop.”
As well as complaints of life-altering disabilities, comas and deaths, park officials have received “scores” of complaints of head and neck injuries sustained after an X2 ride, “according to internal records cited by an expert witness for a plaintiff in court filings”. “Despite years of warnings” from riders, lawyers and medical experts about the “perils” of riding this rollercoaster, theme park officials and state authorities “allowed the attraction to continue operating”.
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Six Flags Magic Mountain insists that X2 is regularly tested and meets industry safety regulations. It didn’t respond to queries from the media about the most recent injuries, beyond confirming that “the ride remains closed at this time”. Attorneys for the park have previously stated there are signs warning customers that “there are inherent risks” in park rides. The families of Guillen and Greer-Wilkinson said the park offered them food on the night of the injury, but have not been in contact since.
Last month, the family of Christopher Hawley, who died after a ride in 2022, reached a settlement with the park and with ride manufacturer S&S Worldwide Inc, said KTLA. During his ride, the coaster “suddenly, abruptly and violently jolted to a halt”, according to the lawsuit filed by the family. Afterwards, Hawley was rushed to hospital where a CT scan showed he suffered a catastrophic right subdural haematoma which the lawsuit alleged was caused by the rollercoaster, and he died the following day. His father, William Hawley, said legal action was the only way to get answers. “We want to make sure that ride isn’t going to kill somebody else,” he said.
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Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
