Six Flags Sued by Over 100 Riders Claiming Brain Injuries From X2 Roller Coaster, Ride Closed Since July

Three Lawsuits, Over 100 Claimed Victims

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, is facing three new lawsuits filed Monday, September 21, in California Superior Court over its X2 roller coaster, according to NBC News and The Guardian. Attorneys Gary Dordick and Christopher Bulone of Dordick Law Corporation, a Beverly Hills firm, announced the suits at a news conference Tuesday and said they now represent more than 100 additional people who report brain injuries from the ride over the past two years, according to Quartz.

Dordick said his firm only accepted clients who had received medical treatment before contacting a lawyer. Bulone said hundreds more people contacted the firm but couldn't file suit because the statute of limitations had expired, their injuries weren't brain-related, or they lacked medical documentation, according to BroBible.

The lawsuits name Six Flags and S&S Worldwide, the ride's manufacturer, as defendants and seek unspecified damages, according to NBC News.

The Two July Cases

Pamela Guillen, 40, rode the X2 on July 5 to celebrate her daughter Camille Marquez's 16th birthday. According to the lawsuit cited by Quartz, Guillen repeatedly hit her head against the ride's headrest during the ride. Back in the station, she couldn't get out of her seat without help, began vomiting, and lost consciousness. Imaging at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital showed a severe subdural hematoma, and surgeons performed a craniectomy, removing part of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain. She didn't regain consciousness for two weeks and has no memory of the incident.

Six days later, on July 11, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, lost consciousness after riding X2 with her siblings. She underwent multiple brain surgeries and remains hospitalized, described in court papers as bedridden and barely conscious, according to The Guardian. Attorneys say her parents are still waiting for her to breathe on her own, according to Quartz.

According to CNN reporting cited by The Guardian and Mundo America, doctors treating both women attributed their injuries to a rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced on the ride.

A third suit involves Los Angeles attorney Michael Wilk, who alleges he suffered a severe brain hemorrhage requiring multiple surgeries after riding X2 in February and says he can no longer practice law, according to Quartz and BroBible.

A Pattern Going Back Two Decades

The X2 opened January 12, 2002, and features seats that rotate 360 degrees independently while the train hits speeds up to 76 mph and drops roughly 200 feet, according to Six Flags' own promotional description cited by NBC News and The Guardian.

An August investigation by CNN, cited across multiple sources including BroBible and Mundo America, found more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and two deaths tied to the ride over nearly 20 years. That investigation cited the case of Selena O'Neil, who suffered a subdural hematoma in 2014, and reported that internal park documents showed roughly 70 complaints of head and neck injuries in the three years before a 2022 fatality.

That fatality was Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who died the day after riding X2 in June 2022. A wrongful death suit filed by his parents, Anne and William Hawley, alleged the ride "jerked around like rag dolls" before jolting to a violent stop, and that a CT scan showed a catastrophic subdural hematoma, according to BroBible. William Hawley told KTLA the park had "essentially gone dark" and would only communicate through attorneys. That case settled in August 2026, shortly before trial; terms were not disclosed, according to BroBible and Law Commentary.

What Six Flags Says

Six Flags has declined to comment on the pending litigation, citing policy, according to Quartz. The park points to what it calls a "comprehensive safety program" that includes daily inspections along with regular evaluations by third-party ride inspectors, state inspectors, and insurance and company safety experts, according to The Guardian.

In earlier filings, Six Flags' legal team argued the ride undergoes routine testing and that its forces are insufficient to injure a typical rider who follows posted instructions, according to Quartz. Mundo America reported the company has also argued in court that there are "inherent risks in participating in any attraction" and that compliant riders shouldn't be injured. That is a standard legal defense in amusement park litigation, and no court has yet ruled on whether it applies here.

The X2 has not operated since the evening of July 12, according to a Six Flags spokesperson cited by Quartz. California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health has an active inspection underway, though no findings have been made public. Dordick's firm says additional lawsuits are expected to be filed in the coming weeks. Whether Cal/OSHA's inspection results in citations, and whether the ride reopens at all, remains unresolved.