Six Flags roller coaster shut down following several deaths and brain injuries

 

A Six Flags roller coaster has been shut down after two people died and several others suffered severe brain injuries requiring emergency surgery.

A Six Flags roller coaster has been shut down after two people died and several others suffered severe brain injuries requiring emergency surgery.

X2, a fan-favorite attraction at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, has been closed since July 12.

The ride opened in 2001, and has been linked to over a dozen serious injuries, several people left with comas or lasting disabilities, and two deaths, according to CNN. Despite repeated complaints over the years, state regulators allowed it to keep operating until last month.

Two women riding X2 seriously hurt only six days apart

The most recent cases involve Hawaii resident Pamela Guillen, 40, and Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, both of whom needed emergency brain surgery after riding X2 within days of each other in July.

Guillen had been anxious about riding the coaster in the first place, wanting to join her 16-year-old daughter. She hit her head multiple times on the headrest during the ride, began vomiting once the car returned to the station, and lost consciousness shortly after. 

A CT scan revealed a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression. 

She woke from a coma two weeks later with a shaved and stapled head, with no memory of what had happened to her.

Just six days later, Greer-Wilkinson boarded the ride with her twin brother and younger sister. She lost consciousness soon after and was rushed into emergency brain surgery. Her family says doctors told them to prepare for the worst. 

Guillen had been anxious about riding the coaster in the first place, wanting to join her 16-year-old daughter. She hit her head multiple times on the headrest during the ride, began vomiting once the car returned to the station, and lost consciousness shortly after. 

A CT scan revealed a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression. 

She woke from a coma two weeks later with a shaved and stapled head, with no memory of what had happened to her.

Just six days later, Greer-Wilkinson boarded the ride with her twin brother and younger sister. She lost consciousness soon after and was rushed into emergency brain surgery. Her family says doctors told them to prepare for the worst. 

She remains in a coma on a ventilator more than a month later.

Her mother, Artemis Greer, told CNN, “Naomi should have never ever in a million years even had the option to get on that ride.” Her father added that whoever made the decision to keep the ride running has “a lot to answer for.”

A pattern that stretches back years

The two recent cases are unfortunately just the tip of the iceberg. Lucy Alvarez, 46, was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury after riding X2, having hit the back of her head hard on the ride’s headrest.

Alvarez continued experiencing dizziness and head pain even after returning home to San Diego, and an ER visit confirmed a traumatic subdural hematoma. According to her attorney, the injury forced her to abandon nursing school and has left her dealing with memory loss, balance problems, and chronic migraines. Her case is set to go to trial in October 2027.

In 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley rode X2 with his brother and cousin, all three hitting their heads on the seats during the ride. He complained of feeling lightheaded before losing consciousness. His cousin later recalled in a court deposition, “I will never forget the fear from the look he gave me as his eyes closed.” 

By the time surgeons operated, his brain had swelled so severely it began pushing through the surgical opening. He died ten hours after riding the coaster.

Six Flags has confirmed only that “the ride remains closed at this time,” without addressing what prompted the shutdown or when, if ever, it might reopen.