'It's Got To Stop': Two Women Suffer Brain Injuries After Riding Six Flags X2 Days Apart

Two women suffered severe brain injuries requiring emergency surgery after riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California just six days apart, prompting a state safety inspection and the ride's closure, according to medical records obtained by CNN and accounts provided by the women's families.

The cases have intensified scrutiny of the attraction as California regulators examine a reported incident involving the ride.

Pamela Guillen, 40, and Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, were treated after separate incidents on 5 and 11 July. Six Flags closed X2 on 12 July, and the attraction remains shut while the inspection continues.

A Nightmare on the X2

Guillen, from Hawaii, was visiting the Valencia theme park with her family to celebrate her daughter's 16th birthday when she rode X2 on 5 July. Ambulance records obtained by CNN indicated that Guillen repeatedly struck her head against the headrest during the ride.

After the train returned to the station, she needed assistance getting out, began vomiting and later lost consciousness. Hospital scans showed a severe subdural haematoma and brain compression. Surgeons performed emergency surgery, removing part of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.

Guillen regained consciousness after about two weeks and has since been relearning how to walk and talk. She has also reported continuing headaches, brain fog and other difficulties.

Six days later, Los Angeles resident Greer-Wilkinson rode X2 with her twin brother and younger sister. She lost consciousness shortly after leaving the ride and was taken to hospital for emergency brain surgery.

Her parents said doctors told them she had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and warned them to prepare for the worst. Her father, Joshua Wilkinson, criticised the decision to continue operating the attraction before it was closed. 'It's got to stop,' he said.

Three neurosurgeons who treated the women said that, in their professional opinion, the severe brain injuries resulted from a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while riding X2. That is a medical opinion and does not constitute a finding by California regulators that the ride caused the injuries.

State Inspection Examines X2's Safety Record

X2 first opened in 2002 as X before being relaunched as X2 in 2008. The fourth-dimensional roller coaster has seats that rotate independently as the train travels along the track. Six Flags says the attraction reaches speeds of up to 76 mph and features 360-degree seat rotation.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA, opened an inspection into a reported incident involving X2 on 5 July.

The agency has said it cannot provide further details while the inspection remains ongoing.

Six Flags has not publicly explained the reason for the continued closure or attributed the two July injuries to a defect in the ride.

The inspection follows years of lawsuits, injury reports and complaints involving X2. In June 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley collapsed shortly after riding the coaster and died the following day, on 24 June.

His family's lawsuit alleged that X2 violently jolted riders and caused Hawley's fatal injuries. Six Flags disputed the allegations.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled Hawley's death an accident caused by blunt head trauma sustained in what the report described as a 'park ride accident'. S&S Worldwide, the supplier of replacement trains for X2, filed court papers on 20 August seeking approval of a settlement with Hawley's family.

On 26 August, court papers stated that the family had also reached a settlement with Magic Mountain. The terms were not disclosed.

Another rider, Hilda Farias, died in 2010 after riding X2. Medical evidence cited in court filings and previous reporting indicated that an underlying brain abnormality ruptured in connection with the forces experienced on the ride. Her family later reached a confidential settlement.

The deaths and other reported injuries do not, by themselves, establish that X2 caused every medical condition reported by riders.

Safety Expert Says X2 Warrants Comprehensive Review

University of Florida senior lecturer Brian D. Avery, an expert in amusement-ride safety and risk management, said that repeated serious brain injuries associated with one attraction should warrant a comprehensive review.

CNN's investigation identified other cases in which riders reported traumatic brain injuries or subdural haematomas after using X2, as well as numerous head and neck injury complaints.

Such reports do not establish that every injury was caused by the attraction. In previous litigation, Six Flags has disputed allegations that X2's forces caused riders' injuries.

The company has argued that riders are warned about the inherent risks and that X2's forces are not sufficient to injure a normal rider using the attraction as instructed. Those arguments were made in litigation and are not findings by regulators or medical determinations concerning the July cases.

For now, X2 remains closed as Cal/OSHA continues its inspection. The agency has not released findings or indicated when its inspection will conclude, and Six Flags has not announced a reopening date.