Six Flags Magic Mountain has decided to close the X2 roller coaster at its amusement park in California. The decision follows claims that the attraction, whose seats rotate 360 degrees, caused brain damage in more than 100 people.
Park management said a series of safety checks had been carried out on X2 following the complaints and that the attraction had passed them successfully. Management said it nevertheless considered the damage to visitors' confidence serious and believed the decision to close the ride was the right one.
Park President Brian Oerding said the safety of amusement-park attractions was at the center of the park's work. Oerding said they were taking the damage to visitors' confidence very seriously.
About 400 inquiries in the case
Dordick Law Corporation, the law firm handling the lawsuit against the park, said about 400 people who believed they had been injured after riding X2 had contacted the firm. The firm said some people had undergone brain surgery, while others continued to struggle with the effects of their health problems.
Dordick Law Corporation described the closure of X2 as a positive step toward protecting future visitors. The firm argued that the decision did not change the situation for people who were allegedly injured earlier and came too late for its clients.
Hawley family reached settlement with park in August
Wisner Baum attorney Brent Wisner represents the family of 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who died after riding X2 in 2022. Wisner said the family welcomed the decision to close the attraction.
The attorney said Hawley's family reached a settlement with park management in August following the death. Wisner also called for legal regulations to be introduced and inspections to be strengthened after the incident.
X2's history
The attraction opened in 2002 under the name X. It was closed several months after opening to address flaws in its design.
The roller coaster was closed again in 2007 so its cars could be replaced with lighter ones, and reopened in 2008 under the name X2. More than 16 million people have used the attraction since then.
