Photo via The Independent

Three new lawsuits claim Six Flags roller coaster caused major brain injuries

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Scott, O. (2026, September 23). Three new lawsuits claim Six Flags roller coaster caused major brain injuries. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/six-flags-rollercoaster-major-brain-injuries-lawsuits-b3055151.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-23 · by Owen Scott

Quick Summary

Three new lawsuits have been filed against Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, claiming that its roller coaster X2 caused major brain injuries to riders. The cases involve Pamela Guillen, who suffered an intracranial hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury on July 5, and Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, who fell into a minimally conscious state after losing consciousness shortly after riding the coaster in early August. The lawsuits accuse Six Flags and rollercoaster designer S&S Worldwide of negligent product design and failure to warn riders of potential dangers, seeking compensation for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Three new lawsuits filed against Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California allege that the park's X2 roller coaster caused severe brain injuries. The lawsuits, initiated by Dordick Law Corporation, claim that more than 100 additional individuals have come forward reporting similar injuries since July of this year. Riders like Pamela Guillen suffered "catastrophic brain injuries," with Guillen collapsing immediately after riding the coaster and undergoing emergency brain surgery two weeks later due to an intracranial hemorrhage. The X2, which opened in 2002, is described as the world’s first ‘fourth dimensional’ rollercoaster with rotating seats. Attorneys argue that design flaws have existed since the ride's debut.

Written for “Six Flags Roller Coaster Brain Injury…” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Six Flags Roller Coaster Brain Injury…
Health · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (US)
Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 70/100
New York Post
Hedges 9 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles mention lawsuits related to injuries from riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Article A focuses on a single attorney's lawsuit and incident, while Article B mentions three new lawsuits involving multiple people.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 6 of 43 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss lawsuits related to injuries from the X2 rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, Article A focuses on a specific case involving Naomi Greer-Wilkinson and her mother, whereas Article B mentions three new lawsuits but does not specify these as being about the same individual cases.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Health
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3499 article(s) · 8 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Owen Scott
84 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 In her motion, Hutt suggested that the pause would be effective for 45 days but could even be extended for a year.
🔮 “Seeing a passenger jet flying low overhead here would be quite a bad sign!
🔮 Hinton added: “The fact that I couldn’t wake up this morning to my baby, it really tore me up.”
🔮 Trump has previously stated that he will accept the midterm results, under one condition.
🔮 “She came up to me and my coworker, Elijah, with a stroller,” assistant manager Jarayya Mayes told Fox 5 Atlanta.
🔮 William “Stone” Romberg, a beach hospitality manager who worked in Florida’s panhandle, was killed on Sunday as he swam out to untangle the bird from his lure after casting it near an inlet in the Panama City Beach area.
🔮 President Donald Trump has warned a federal judge that he will hold her personally responsible if anyone dies on a “highly dangerous” golf course he wants renovated.
🔮 Currently, the GOP controls both the House and the Senate, but some polls have shown that the Democratic Party could flip the balance of power in Congress.
🔮 During his show, Maher said that Trump had the “lowest approval rating of any midterm candidate ever,” poked fun at the president’s comments about Senator Jon Husted’s body and asked Leavitt what Trump could be like during the “lame-duck” phase of his presidency.
🔮 A DOGE affiliate who oversaw the firing of thousands of federal employees and ended USAID may not have had the authority to do so, according to a report.
Also by Owen Scott
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 84 articles by Owen Scott →

Topics

CNN Independent Six Flags Six Flags Magic Mountain Valencia

Subjects

Guillen PERSON · 3× Six Flags Magic Mountain ORG · 3× CNN ORG · 2× Dordick Law Corporation ORG · 2× Independent NORP · 2× Magic Mountain ORG · 2× California GPE · 1× Christopher Bulone PERSON · 1× Six Flags ORG · 1× Valencia ORG · 1×

Narrative

Attorneys representing Hawley’s family told KTLA Los Angeles in August that they had reached a settlement with Six Flags Magic Mountain and S&S Worldwide Inc. Michael Wilk, a Los Angeles-based attorney, told CNN that he was the third person to file a lawsuit with Dordick Law Corporation.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
2026-09-23 · The Independent
Three new lawsuits claim Six Flags roller coaster caused major brain injuries · assertive framing

Claims (25 extracted, 3 hedged)

Three new lawsuits claim that a Six Flags roller coaster left riders with major brain injuries. uncertain
coaster → claim → injuries
The X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, opened in 2002 and billed as the world’s first ‘fourth dimensional’ rollercoaster with seats that rotate 360 degrees. asserted
that → open → degrees
Attorneys from Dordick Law Corporation say more than 100 people have retained their services in the last two months, alleging they suffered some form of brain injuries from the ride. asserted
they → retain → ride
“No ride like that should be allowed to exist,” attorney Christopher Bulone said at a press conference Tuesday, held to announce the first three lawsuits. asserted
Bulone → allow → lawsuits
In her lawsuit, Pamela Guillen says she suffered a “catastrophic brain injury” while riding the roller coaster on July 5 during a visit to the park for her daughter’s birthday. asserted
she → say → birthday
Guillen collapsed after riding X2 and was rushed to the hospital, where she was found to have suffered an intracranial hemorrhage and a life-threatening traumatic brain injury. asserted
she → collapse → hemorrhage
Medical records obtained by CNN revealed that part of her skull needed to be removed to relieve pressure on her brain, after she hit her head on the headrest multiple times. asserted
she → obtain → headrest
“You go in as yourself, and then when you come back, you’re a medical emergency,” she told the outlet. asserted
she → go → outlet
“Like I still can’t wrap my head around that.” asserted
I → wrap → that
The lawsuit claims surgeons and doctors who treated Guillen concluded her injuries were caused by the forces experienced while riding X2. uncertain
injuries → claim → X2
The document names Magic Mountain, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, Six Flags Theme Parks and rollercoaster designer S&S Worldwide - which purchased the assets of the firm that originally designed the ride. asserted
that → name → ride
Each firm is accused of negligent product design and negligent failure to warn, among other causes. asserted
firm → accuse → causes
The document seeks damages for pain, emotional distress, and disability, as well as the cost of past and future medical care. asserted
document → seek → care
Just six days after Guillen was injured, then-25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson and her siblings boarded X2, a second lawsuit filed by her family on Monday states. asserted
lawsuit → injure → Monday
Greer-Wilkinson lost consciousness shortly after disembarking and was taken to the hospital, where medics discovered she had also suffered intracranial hemorrhaging and traumatic brain injury. asserted
she → lose → hemorrhaging
Now, she is dependent on a ventilator and is in a “minimally conscious state,” unable to speak or move her extremities. asserted
she → speak → extremities
The lawsuit cites the death of 22-year-old graduate Christopher Hawley, who died in hospital after suffering head trauma while riding the rollercoaster in 2022. asserted
who → cite → 2022
Attorneys representing Hawley’s family told KTLA Los Angeles in August that they had reached a settlement with Six Flags Magic Mountain and S&S Worldwide Inc. Michael Wilk, a Los Angeles-based attorney, told CNN that he was the third person to file a lawsuit with Dordick Law Corporation. asserted
he → represent → Corporation
He says that was left needing after riding the X2 in February, which had allegedly led to him suffering bleeding in his brain. uncertain
him → say → brain
“My brain has difficulty processing the words, and so unless it’s extraordinarily clear and loud, my brain gets the word wrong,” he said. asserted
he → have → words
“I think I miss about half the conversations I’m in.” asserted
I → think → conversations
The Independent has contacted Six Flags Magic Mountain and S&S Worldwide Inc for comment on the three lawsuits. asserted
Independent → contact → lawsuits
“The ride remains closed at this time,” a Magic Mountain spokesperson told ABC 11. asserted
spokesperson → remain → ABC
“It has been closed since the evening of July 12. asserted
It → close → July
It is our policy not to comment on pending litigation.” asserted
It → comment → litigation
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support