A popular roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain has been closed since July 12 after two riders suffered similar brain hemorrhages.
According to a CNN investigation, two women who rode the X2 coaster six days apart both lost consciousness and ended up in surgery with similar brain hemorrhages of a type that’s “typically associated with high-speed collisions.” Three neurosurgeons who treated the women declared in an email, “the severe brain injuries requiring emergent neurosurgical attention were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride.”
The second of the two riders is currently in a coma, and Six Flags reportedly has only offered her food from McDonald’s. Her father told the network that whoever decided to keep X2 open after the first July injury case “has a lot to answer for,” and declared, “It’s got to stop.”
Furthermore, CNN uncovered a long history of injuries associated with the ride, claiming there have been more than a dozen reports of injuries and hospitalizations related to X2, and two of the cases were fatal (both riders were in their twenties and perished from brain injuries, though one had a preexisting brain abnormality). In addition, unearthed Six Flags records listed at least 70 head and neck injury complaints between 2019 and 2022.
