Six Flags X2 remains closed after two women needed emergency brain surgery within six days. Here’s what we know about the ride’s injury history and safety.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2026, 20:52:49 IST

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Two women needed emergency brain surgery within six days of riding Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2 roller coaster. The incidents have raised fresh questions about the safety of the ride. X2 has been closed since July 12. The roller coaster is located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.

Six Flags has not explained why X2 was closed. The company has only said that “the ride remains closed at this time.” California regulators are still inspecting the ride.

Six Flags roller coaster brain injury reports

State officials have not yet announced when the inspection will be completed or when X2 could reopen, according to a CNN investigation. X2 is one of the park’s best-known roller coasters. The ride has seats that rotate 360 degrees while the train travels at speeds approaching 80 mph.

A review of medical records, court filings and depositions found more than a dozen serious injury and hospitalization reports linked to X2 over nearly two decades. The CNN investigation found that some riders suffered permanent disabilities or went into comas.

X2 injury history

Two people have died after suffering injuries linked to the ride. One death happened in 2010 and another in 2022. Experts say serious brain injuries from roller coasters are generally very rare. Lyndia Wu, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia who studies the effects of roller coasters on the brain, said individual high-risk rides such as X2 may need more study.

Three neurosurgeons who treated the two women injured in July disagreed with that argument. They said the women suffered severe brain injuries because of a rapid acceleration and deceleration event while riding X2.

Rider dies hours after X2

In June 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley rode X2 with his brother and cousin. Hawley was a recent college graduate, according to court records. Hawley became lightheaded after getting off the ride. He later collapsed and lost consciousness.

Doctors found severe bleeding inside Hawley’s head. The bleeding was putting pressure on his brain and forcing it toward one side of his skull. Hawley’s brain swelled badly during emergency surgery. Court records say he died less than 10 hours after riding X2.

The medical examiner listed Hawley’s cause of death as blunt head trauma from a “park ride accident.” An expert hired by Hawley’s family later said Six Flags’ internal records showed at least 70 complaints involving head or neck injuries on X2 during the three years before Hawley’s death. Hawley was the second person to die in connection with X2.

After Hawley’s death, California officials ordered X2 to close for an inspection. The ride reopened only a few days later. Ride safety expert Brian Avery called the repeated traumatic brain injuries linked to X2 a “clear safety signal.” Avery, a professor at the University of Florida, said the pattern should lead to a comprehensive review of the attraction.

Two emergency surgeries in six days

The latest incidents happened in July 2026. Two women suffered severe brain injuries after riding X2 just six days apart. The first woman was 40-year-old Pamela Guillen from Hawaii. She was visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain with her family for her daughter’s 16th birthday.

Guillen rode X2 during the family trip. Ambulance records say she repeatedly hit her head against the ride’s headrest. When the coaster returned to the station, Guillen needed help getting out. She then began vomiting and soon lost consciousness. Guillen’s daughter Camille Marquez said she tried to wake her mother. Marquez recalled saying, “Mommy, please wake up,” while rubbing and shaking her mother.

Doctors found that Guillen had a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression. Surgeons removed part of Guillen’s skull to reduce the pressure on her brain. Guillen regained full consciousness about two weeks later. At first, she could speak only one word at a time. Guillen has had to relearn how to walk and speak. She continues to experience headaches and brain fog.

Six days later, 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode X2 with her siblings. Greer-Wilkinson also lost consciousness shortly after riding the coaster. Her family said she was rushed to the hospital and needed emergency brain surgery. Doctors told Greer-Wilkinson’s parents that she had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. They also warned the family to prepare for the worst, according to her parents. Her mother, Artemis Greer, said Naomi should never have had the chance to get on X2.

Why is X2 closed?

Six Flags closed X2 on the evening of July 12. The closure happened nearly a day after Greer-Wilkinson was injured. Six Flags has still not said what caused the closure. The company has also not announced when X2 will reopen. The California inspection remains underway. Until officials and Six Flags provide more information, the exact reason for the current closure remains unclear.

The key question now is whether X2’s design, operation or maintenance played a role in the latest injuries. California regulators’ ongoing inspection is expected to provide more information about the safety of the ride.

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