After multiple lawsuits alleging brain injuries, Six Flags retires popular roller coaster
A 2022 image of the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. (Photo by Robert V. Schwemmer/Shutterstock)
The X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, once described on the amusement park’s website as a “rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil,” has been shut down amid lawsuits alleging that the ride caused serious brain injuries.
Located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, the ride has been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women had to be taken to the hospital after riding the roller coaster, the Associated Press reports.
Its permanent closure was announced Tuesday. That followed a recent wrongful death suit settlement and three other suits filed Sept. 21 in the Los Angeles County Superior Court by the Dordick Law Corporation.
According to the complaints, which can be viewed on the law firm’s website, the ride had independent seat rotation, traveled at high speeds, included rapid changes in direction, and turned passengers upside down. Those things may cause massive intracranial hemorrhages, leading to permanent brain damage, comas or death, according to the suits.
A 2021 video of the ride was shared on YouTube.
Six Flags takes ride safety very seriously, Brian Oerding, the president of Six Flags Magic Mountain, wrote on the company’s website.
“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,” Oerding wrote.
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