Six Flags Magic Mountain retired X2, the first “4th Dimension” coaster, after a CNN investigation and three new lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries. The park says the ride passed its safety tests.
Six Flags Magic Mountain has permanently closed X2, the record-setting roller coaster at the center of a growing number of brain injury claims.
Park president Brian Oerding said in a statement that X2 “consistently passed a multitude of safety tests.” The park decided to close it anyway, he said, because it’s “the right thing to do.”
The decision came days after a CNN investigation into injuries tied to the ride, first reported by CNN on Sept. 29. X2 had been closed since July, when two riders were hospitalized within a week of each other.
Why did Six Flags close X2?
Six Flags hasn’t pointed to a specific finding. Oerding’s statement says the ride kept passing inspections and that closing it is the right call.
The pressure had been building for months.
In July, two women who rode X2 needed emergency brain surgery within six days of each other, per Fox Business. Pamela Guillen was hospitalized July 5 with a subdural hematoma, a bleed between the brain and skull. Naomi Greer-Wilkinson lost consciousness after riding on July 11 and was put on a ventilator after surgery.
The ride closed after those incidents. California’s workplace safety agency, Cal/OSHA, opened an investigation, and that probe is still active, per Fox Business.
How many people say X2 injured them?
More than 100, according to reporting on the claims.
CNN’s investigation found more than 100 people have come forward with claims of head or brain trauma after riding X2 in the past two years, per Parade’s summary of CNN’s reporting. About 100 people have contacted Dordick Law Corporation, the firm representing several riders, per Fox Business.
Three new lawsuits allege traumatic brain injuries from the ride. None of those claims has been proven in court.
There’s also older history. The family of Christopher Hawley, 22, who died in 2022 from blunt-force head trauma, sued over his death, and that case was settled, per Fox Business.
What did riders and their lawyers say about the closure?
Relief, mostly, with a catch.
Guillen said she was glad the ride was closing and that the park should improve safety across all its parks, per Parade. Greer-Wilkinson’s family called the closure “long overdue.”
Attorney Gary A. Dordick welcomed the move. “Closing the ride protects future guests, and we welcome that,” he said, per Fox Business. He added that it doesn’t help the riders who were already hurt.
What made X2 different from other roller coasters?
Its seats spin.
X2 opened at the Valencia, California, park on Jan. 12, 2002, as X. Built by Arrow Dynamics, it was the world’s first “4th Dimension” coaster, per its Wikipedia history. Riders sat in seats mounted on the sides of the track, and those seats rotated forward and backward on their own as the train moved.
The ride stood 175 feet tall, dropped 215 feet and hit 76 mph.
In 2008, Six Flags spent $10 million to rebuild it with new trains, new restraints, onboard audio and flame effects, and renamed it X2. Nearly 16 million riders took a trip over the years, per Parade.
What happens to X2 now?
Six Flags hasn’t said whether the coaster will be torn down or what will replace it.
The lawsuits go on without it. The Cal/OSHA investigation is still open, and Dordick’s firm is still taking claims.
For now, one of the most famous coasters in Southern California is closed for good.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
CNN (Sept. 29, 2026), the investigation and first report of the closure
Fox Business (Sept. 30, 2026), Oerding statement, July incidents, lawsuits, Hawley settlement, Dordick quote, Cal/OSHA status
Parade (Sept. 30, 2026), rider and family reactions, claim count, ridership
Wikipedia, X2 opening date, manufacturer, 2008 renovation and ride stats
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