Intense Six Flags Coaster Closed After Two Riders Suffer Brain Hemorrhages: “It’s Got to Stop”

Jacque Marquez and Sarah Martinez, were one of the first riders to experience X2 during X2 Media Day At Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 22, 2008 in Valencia, California. Mathew Imaging/WireImage

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.”

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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.

X2 is high-speed “4D” coaster with near-vertical drops and independently rotating seats which flip riders around. The ride is considered much-loved among hardcore coaster fans and it was voted “Coaster of the Year” when it first opened in 2002 (watch a point-of-view video of the ride below).

Six Flags has defended the coaster by pointing out there is signage warning customers “there are inherent risks” in park rides and that X2 is regularly tested and meets industry safety regulations. The company’s attorneys have argued that forces generated by the ride are not strong enough to cause a brain injury in a “normal” rider if the ride is used “as instructed” (in at least one case, the park’s attorneys said a rider’s injury was due to her negligence).

The park is declining to answer inquires about the July injuries. A park spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter, “The ride remains closed at this time.”