Lawsuit Alleges Defective Design in 2022 Death
The family of a 22-year-old man who died after riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain has filed a lawsuit accusing the park of defective ride design, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles. Christopher Hawley, a San Diego State University graduate, visited the Los Angeles County theme park in summer 2022 and collapsed shortly after stepping off the attraction, dying the following day.
Hawley's death was ruled an accident caused by blunt-force head trauma sustained from the ride, which his family described as exceptionally rough. His brother, Alex, told the local station that the ride was intensely violent, saying, "It was very rough. It just jerked us. It just jerked us all around," and describing how "It just jolted us all the way forward and then our heads just swung all the way back into the headrest."
After the ride, Hawley appeared unwell, with his face turning very red before he suddenly collapsed. His father, William, recalled that a surgeon compared his son's injuries to shaken baby syndrome: "The surgeon had said, he likened it to shaken baby syndrome, that the ride hit his head so hard that it had basically ruptured his brain."
The lawsuit, which also names the ride's manufacturer and park employees as defendants, alleges that the defendants failed to adequately warn the public about the ride's risks. A jury trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, according to reports. Six Flags declined to comment directly on the litigation to Fox News Digital.
The X2 attraction has been advertised as one of the theme park's most intense rides, featuring seats that rotate 360 degrees. The ride has a history of incidents, according to a CNN investigation that found injuries reported over the last two decades, including two deaths.
Recent Incidents and Closure
The X2 roller coaster has been closed since July 12 after a separate incident in which a rider was found unconscious. According to a park spokesperson, "The ride remains closed at this time. It has been closed since the evening of July 12th." The closure has lasted more than a month.
In July, Pamela Guillen, a Hawaii resident, lost consciousness during the ride and was transported to a hospital, where a CT scan revealed a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression. Days later, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, a Los Angeles resident, was hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury and remains in a coma.
CNN's investigation also examined the state inspection process for the ride, noting that the testing data Six Flags provided to inspectors was informed by safety standards from a committee composed of theme park operators and ride manufacturers.
Settlement and Ongoing Concerns
Six Flags has faced litigation related to X2 and settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Hawley family, though the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed and Six Flags had denied the allegations. William Hawley told the Orange County Register: "We want to make sure that that ride isn’t going to kill somebody else."
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.