Key Takeaways
- Six Flags permanently closed Magic Mountain’s X2 after two riders suffered brain hemorrhages six days apart, saying the coaster passed safety tests but had lost guests’ confidence.
- The 24-year-old coaster carried more than 16 million riders, but reports tied it to over a dozen serious injuries and hospitalizations, including two riders who later died after brain injuries.
- Magic Mountain now plans to open Thrill Glider in 2027, a face-forward suspended coaster reaching 50 mph across five inversions.
Six Flags is pulling the plug on its controversial X2 coaster.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the company announced on Tuesday, September 29, that it is permanently closing the iconic Six Flags Magic Mountain coaster following months of scrutiny over serious brain injuries associated with the ride. X2 had already been out of operation since July, when two women suffered brain hemorrhages just six days apart after riding it.
Six Flags says X2 repeatedly passed its safety tests, but Magic Mountain president Brian Oerding acknowledged that confidence in the coaster had taken a hit.
“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it's the right thing to do,” Oerding said. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”
That ends a 24-year run for one of Magic Mountain's most recognizable attractions. More than 16 million people rode X2 after it debuted under that name in 2008, though the coaster originally opened as X in 2002. Its unconventional design placed seats alongside the track and allowed them to rotate forward and backward independently as the train moved.
The ride's history, however, included problems almost from the beginning. X temporarily closed months after its debut for repairs related to design issues. Six Flags shut it down again in 2007, swapped its trains for lighter models, and brought the coaster back the following year as X2.
Its safety record came under much sharper focus this summer.
Two women suffered similar brain hemorrhages after riding X2 six days apart in July. Both lost consciousness and required emergency neurosurgery. Three neurosurgeons who treated the women later attributed their “severe brain injuries” to a “traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event” experienced on the ride.
One of the women was left in a coma.
Those cases also opened the door to a deeper examination of X2's past. CNN subsequently identified more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations tied to the coaster over two decades, including two riders who later died following brain injuries.
One was 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, who stumbled after riding X2 in 2022 before losing consciousness and dying. His family sued Magic Mountain and settled the case in August. After learning X2 would never reopen, his mother, Anne Hawley, said the decision had been years in the making for her family.
“We have tried for four years to do the best we can to spread awareness,” she said. “They finally listened.”
Court records also show that 28-year-old Hilda Farias suffered a brain bleed after riding X2 in 2010 and later died. Other riders filed lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries following rides in 2020 and 2021.
The end of X2 comes just as Six Flags prepares to usher in its next generation of extreme rides. Magic Mountain recently announced Thrill Glider, a new coaster scheduled for 2027 that will suspend riders face-forward beneath the track in hovercycle-style vehicles.
Six Flags says the first-of-its-kind attraction will reach 50 mph, run for more than half a mile, and send riders through five inversions.
