Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently closed the X2 roller coaster. The ride, which opened in 2008, had been shut down since July and will not reopen. According to lawsuits tied to the attraction, X2 is linked to more than 100 brain injuries and two deaths. Two riders, Pamela Guillen, 40, and Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, suffered life-threatening brain hemorrhages less than a week apart in July, both requiring emergency surgery. The park maintains the coaster consistently passed safety tests.
The timeline stretches back further than this summer. Christopher Hawley, 22, died in 2022 after riding X2, and his family just settled a wrongful death lawsuit. Hilda Farias, 28, died back in 2010. Attorneys say the injuries were largely kept out of public view until a recent investigation brought them to light, and pending litigation accuses Six Flags officials of ignoring warnings about the ride’s dangers.
For Suncoast families who make the theme park rounds in Tampa, Orlando, and beyond, this raises real questions about how amusement rides are regulated and how quickly parks share safety information with the public. Closing X2 resolves one ride. It doesn’t resolve the bigger conversation about oversight. Have you ever had a scary experience on a thrill ride? Tell us about it in the comments.
