Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2 rollercoaster leaves two people dead, dozens injured, hospitalised

A world-famous rollercoaster which advertises itself as a “rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil” has been linked to two deaths, life-altering disabilities, and dozens of injuries and hospitalisations.

The X2 rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, has been quietly closed since July 12, the day after two riders suffered brain injuries “typically associated with high speed collisions” within days of each other.

However, the theme park has not addressed the closure.

A CNN investigation has revealed that the two women were treated for brain haemorrhages in the same week at a Southern Californian hospital in July after riding the extreme rollercoaster.

The X2 rollercoaster, which opened in 2002, advertises itself as a “rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil” on Six Flags Magic Mountain’s website.

As it travels more than 1.1 kilometres, the “fifth-dimension wing rollercoaster” reaches a top speed of 122.3 kilometres an hour and an elevation of almost 61 metres.

“Feel your sense of direction disappear as you fly through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists plus two ultra-rare ‘raven turns’ — half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops,” the website reads.

“To make things even better, your 360° seat extends on wings far off the track, so your body will be flipping around the entire time.

“Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension.”

Dozens of injuries and hospitalisations

Over almost two decades, the ride has been linked to more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalisations.

Several of those injured suffered life-altering disabilities.

The theme park’s lawyers have fought against lawsuits from injured riders, saying that “there are inherent risks in the participation in or on any amusement ride or attraction”, and arguing that the physical force is not strong enough to cause a traumatic brain injury.

However, Californian neurosurgeons who treated the women in July disagreed.

“In our professional opinion, the severe brain injuries requiring emergent neurosurgical attention were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride.”

One of those women was 40-year-old Pamela Guillen, who rode the rollercoaster with her daughter, it was to be their last ride of the day at the theme park.

However, after hitting her head multiple times during the ride, Ms Guillen became dizzy and lost consciousness.

She had suffered from a severe subdural haematoma and brain compression, which required brain surgery.

“I’m very lucky to be alive,” she said.

Ms Guillen has since had to re-learn how to walk and talk.

“You go in as yourself, and then when you come back, you’re a medical emergency,” she said.

“Like I still can’t wrap my head around that.

“There’s a difference between being jerked around and brain damage.”

Six days after Ms Guillen was taken to hospital in the back of an ambulance with a ventilator, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson experienced the same symptoms after riding the X2, which remained open after Ms Guillen’s hospitalisation.

The 25-year-old suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and, while in surgery, her family were told to prepare for the worst.

“Naomi should have never ever in a million years even had the option to get on that ride,” her mother Artemis Greer said.

Months later, Ms Greer-Wilkinson remains in a coma.

“This is the hardest thing a human being could go through,” Ms Greer said.

“This is cruel.”

Her family told CNN that the only offer from Six Flags was food from McDonald’s.

Fatal rollercoaster rides

In 2010, Hildar Farias, 28, died after riding X2.

Her cause of death was believed to be a brain abnormality that ruptured because of the intensity of the ride.

In 2022, a 22-year-old man, Christopher Hawley, died mere hours after riding the rollercoaster, despite being in excellent health prior to the ride.

The neurosurgeon who treated him likened his injuries to “shaken baby syndrome”.

CNN revealed that in the three year’s prior to Hawley’s death, the park had received at least 70 reports of head and neck injuries associated with X2.

Six Flags did not answer questions posed by CNN about the injuries, instead simply responding, “the ride remains closed at this time”.