3 lawsuits allege brain injuries on X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain

More than 100 riders on X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain allege they suffered traumatic brain injuries on the high speed fourth-dimension wing roller coaster, according to lawsuits and pending lawsuits by a Los Angeles law firm.

The Dordick law firm held a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 22 to announce the filing of three lawsuits alleging catastrophic brain damage by three clients who rode X2 at the Valencia amusement park.

Magic Mountain closed X2 on July 12 following an incident involving the coaster that is under investigation by state safety officials.

“The ride remains closed at this time,” according to a Six Flags Magic Mountain spokesperson.

Six Flags does not comment on pending litigation.

Every Six Flags ride undergoes extensive inspections by state, insurance, engineering, safety and third-party inspectors designed to meet or exceed manufacturer requirements and industry standards, according to the Six Flags corporate website.

The 200-foot-tall X2 reaches a top speed of 76 mph while navigating a pair of raven turn inversions over a 3,600-foot-long track. The 360-degree rotating seats on the wing coaster extend on either side of the track.

The Dordick law firm is representing Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, Pamela Guillen and Michael Wilk in the X2 lawsuits.

Greer-Wilkinson, 25, of Los Angeles, and Guillen, 40, of Hawaii, were both treated for severe brain hemorrhages within days of each other in July after riding X2, according to Dordick attorney Christopher Bulone.

Wilk, a 68-year-old insurance defense attorney from Calabasas, was treated for an acute brain bleed and underwent multiple surgeries after riding X2 in February, according to Bulone.

Attorney Gary Dordick announced more than 100 lawsuits will be filed in the coming weeks on behalf of additional clients who allege traumatic brain injuries of varying severity after riding X2 in the past two years.

Experts who studied the biomechanics of X2 found the ride had more angular and rotational forces on the brain than on other roller coasters because the seats rotate 360 degrees in addition to the sharp turns, according to Bulone.

“It becomes particularly dangerous when the head is moving in one direction and the seat is moving towards it,” Bulone said in a phone interview. “So there’s both the forces of opposite inertia plus the blunt force. When those things are combined, this is how people tear their veins and have brain bleeds.”

A CNN investigation found X2 was linked to two deaths and more than a dozen reports of serious injuries over two decades after a review of legal filings, depositions and medical records.

Anne and William Hawley of Garden Grove alleged in a 2024 lawsuit that the “unreasonably dangerous” X2 coaster caused their 22-year-old son Christopher’s fatal brain injury. The family settled the case with Magic Mountain and X2 trainmaker S&S Worldwide in August before the trial started, according to KTTV Fox 11 News.

Six Flags and S&S Worldwide denied liability and the settlement did not include any finding that X2 was defective or the companies caused Hawley’s death, according to the Dordick law firm website.

Hilda Farias, 28, died in 2010 from a brain abnormality that ruptured allegedly because of the intensity of X2, according to the CNN investigation. A lawsuit by the family was settled for an undisclosed amount, according to CNN.

The CNN investigation detailed three other lawsuits related to Magic Mountain’s X2 coaster.

Lucy Alvarez, 46, allegedly suffered a traumatic subdural hematoma in 2021 after riding X2, according to CNN. A trial is scheduled for October 2027, CNN reported.

Sheila Katerelos, 50, allegedly suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2020 after riding X2, according to CNN. Her lawsuit against the X2 trainmaker is awaiting trial, according to CNN.

Selena O’Neill, 17, allegedly suffered a life-threatening subdural hematoma in 2014 after riding X2, according to CNN. O’Neill settled a case with the X2 trainmaker in 2017, according to CNN.