In a troubling development, two women required emergency brain surgery within six days of riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. These incidents have sparked renewed scrutiny regarding the safety protocols of the ride. As a precaution, Six Flags has closed the X2 since July 12 while investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding these medical emergencies.
One death happened in 2010 and another in 2022. Court records say he died less than 10 hours after riding X2. An expert hired by Hawley’s family later said Six Flags’ internal records showed at least 70 complaints involving head or neck injuries on X2 during the three years before Hawley’s death. Six days later, 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode X2 with her siblings.
Greer-Wilkinson also lost consciousness shortly after riding the coaster.
Lyndia Wu, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia who studies the effects of roller coasters on the brain, said individual high-risk rides such as X2 may need more study. Avery, a professor at the University of Florida, said the pattern should lead to a comprehensive review of the attraction. Her family said she was rushed to the hospital and needed emergency brain surgery. Doctors told Greer-Wilkinson’s parents that she had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. They also warned the family to prepare for the worst, according to her parents. Her mother, Artemis Greer, said Naomi should never have had the chance to get on X2.
Two people have died after suffering injuries linked to the ride. Experts say serious brain injuries from roller coasters are generally very rare. Doctors found severe bleeding inside Hawley’s head. The bleeding was putting pressure on his brain and forcing it toward one side of his skull. Hawley’s brain swelled badly during emergency surgery. The medical examiner listed Hawley’s cause of death as blunt head trauma from a “park ride accident. Hawley was the second person to die in connection with X2. After Hawley’s death, California officials ordered X2 to close for an inspection. The ride reopened only a few days later. Ride safety expert Brian Avery called the repeated traumatic brain injuries linked to X2 a “clear safety signal.
