- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
Six Flags Magic Mountain is demolishing its infamous X2 roller coaster amid lawsuits alleging serious brain injury caused by the ride.
The Southern California theme park announced on Tuesday that it is permanently shuttering the ride after nearly 20 years.
The move comes after the theme park settled a wrongful-death lawsuit from the family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the coaster in 2022, and three other lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed last week.
asserted
lawsuits → see → injuries
'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,' park President Brian Oerding said in an online announcement.
asserted
Oerding → pass → announcement
'Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.'
asserted
we → see → it
The ride has been closed since the evening of July 12, after two women who rode the coaster less than a week apart both needed to be rushed to the hospital.
asserted
who → close → hospital
One of them, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, collapsed shortly after the ride ended and was found to have massive brain bleeding inside the skull that required emergency brain surgery.
She remains in a vegetative state in the hospital, unable to speak or move and dependent on a ventilator.
asserted
She → collapse → ventilator
Her family filed a lawsuit against Six Flags on her behalf.
asserted
family → file → behalf
Her attorneys have said more than 100 people claimed they suffered brain injuries from the roller coaster in the past two years, and more lawsuits would be filed in the coming weeks.
asserted
lawsuits → say → weeks
Christopher Hawley (center), 22, died after riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Mountain Magic with his brother and cousin in 2022
The X2 speeds up to nearly 80 miles an hour while flipping rider seats 360 degrees around the track
Another plaintiff, attorney Michael Wick, says he rode the X2 on a family day out, but claims his injuries were so severe he is now unable to practice law because of his disability.
uncertain
he → die → disability
Wick says he underwent two brain surgeries after riding the X2, as he joined a growing number of thrill-seekers who were allegedly injured by the rollercoaster.
uncertain
who → say → rollercoaster
Attorney Gary Dordick said he now plans to file additional lawsuits against Magic Mountain, accusing the attraction of 'thinking it's ok that if people voluntarily choose to ride a roller coaster, then they've assumed the risk.
asserted
they → say → risk
'
'They don't assume a risk of death or catastrophic brain damage for some family fun,' Dordick said.
asserted
Dordick → assume → fun
Attorneys added they heard from hundreds of other riders who were either ineligible to sue because of the statute of limitations, had injuries that were not brain-related or did not have proof of medical treatment.
asserted
that → add → treatment
The X2 is known for hitting speeds of nearly 80 miles an hour while flipping seats 360 degrees as it makes its way around the track, and it is billed as the world's first fourth-dimension rollercoaster.
asserted
it → know → rollercoaster
It is widely regarded as one of the most intense roller coasters in the world, and there are only two more of its kind, in China and in Japan.
asserted
It → regard → Japan
It debuted at the park in 2002 under the name X as the world's first 'fourth-dimension' roller coaster and reopened in 2008 as X2 with new trains and special effects.
asserted
It → debut → trains
The uniqueness of the ride drew thrill-seekers from around the world and garnered a fervent fanbase.
asserted
uniqueness → draw → fanbase
Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, remains in hospital on a ventilator months after riding the notorious rollercoaster
The X2 ride has since been linked to more than a dozen reports of injuries and hospitalizations in the past two decades, according to medical reports seen by CNN.
uncertain
ride → remain → CNN
A 22-year-old college graduate, Christopher Hawley, even died about ten hours after getting off the ride with his brother and cousin in 2022, the outlet said.
asserted
outlet → die → 2022
A coroner's report found he suffered blunt head trauma during a 'park ride accident,' CNN reported.
asserted
CNN → find → accident
His father, William Hawley, told Fox 11 that a surgeon said the X2 'hit his head so hard that it had basically ruptured his brain.'
Attorneys for Hawley's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against park operator Magic Mountain LLC and replacement coaster train supplier S&S Worldwide Inc.
Last month, the Hawley family reached a settlement with Magic Mountain LLC and an accord with S&S, the terms of which remain undisclosed.
asserted
terms → tell → which
The Aporia
