Sep 30, 8:02 AM
Six Flags retires X2 after injury claims turn a marquee ride into a liability
The California coaster had been closed since July, but the real damage was done long before the park decided to call time on it.
Six Flags Magic Mountain has finally decided that X2 is not worth the trouble. The California park said it will permanently close the rollercoaster after more than 100 riders alleged brain injuries, a development that makes the ride sound less like a thrill machine than a legal case with seat belts.
The coaster has been shut since July, and the park said it had passed a range of safety tests. Even so, Six Flags concluded that retiring it was the right thing to do. Brian Oerding, president of Six Flags Magic Mountain, said ride safety is a cornerstone of the business and that guest confidence matters when it is affected. That is the sort of statement companies issue when they have moved from explanation to damage control.
The pressure came not only from complaints but from the courts. Dordick Law Corporation, which filed civil lawsuits against the park, said it had been contacted by about 400 people who alleged injuries they believed were caused by the ride. In its statement, the firm said some riders needed emergency brain surgery and some are still trying to rebuild their lives. It welcomed the closure for the sake of future visitors, while making the obvious point that shutting a ride does nothing for those already hurt.
X2 has had a complicated life from the start. It first opened in 2002 under the name X, then closed months later for repairs after design flaws were identified. It was shut again in 2007 so the trains could be replaced with lighter versions, and reopened in 2008 as X2. Since then, the park says, more than 16 million people have ridden it. That is a large number, though not one that offers much comfort to the people now describing their experience in medical rather than recreational terms.
The most serious shadow over the ride is the death of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died after riding X2 in 2022. His family settled a wrongful death suit with the theme park in August. Brent Wisner of Wisner Baum LLP, who represented the family, said the closure does not change the fact that Hawley was killed by a dangerous roller coaster that was allowed to operate for nearly two decades.
Wisner called for legal reform, proactive regulation and proper government oversight, arguing that public safety cannot be left to profit-driven companies that act only after enough people have been harmed. He is not wrong, and the timing of Six Flags’ decision does little to improve the impression. The park has now retired one of its headline attractions, but only after the complaints, the lawsuits and the death had already done the reputational work for it.
Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com
