Six Flags closes X2 roller coaster after brain injury complaints

When they were inaugurated in 2002, it was presented as unique in the world. However, this flagship attraction of Six Flags Magic Mountain in California was taken out of service this Tuesday by park managers. The X2 roller coaster, whose seats can rotate controlled forwards and backwards 360 degrees, has been the subject of serious controversy across the Atlantic in recent days after three people filed complaints for traumatic brain injuries after riding it.

One of them, aged 25, is still in the hospital in a vegetative state. She suffered a massive brain hemorrhage which required emergency surgery. His family filed the lawsuit on his behalf. Six Flags also reached an out-of-court settlement in late August in a manslaughter lawsuit filed by the family of a 22-year-old man who died in similar circumstances, after the medical examiner's office concluded that his death was due to blunt force head trauma.

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Repeated bad buzz that pushed park president Brian Oerding to take a stand. “Although the X2 attraction has always successfully passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close it because we believe it is the right decision to make,” he said in a statement published online and relayed by the American agency Associated Press. “Attraction safety is the cornerstone of our business, and when we see that our visitors’ confidence is shaken, we take it very seriously,” he said.

Other legal actions could be launched

The ride had been closed since the evening of July 12 anyway, after two women who rode the roller coaster less than a week apart had to be rushed to hospital upon release. Their lawyers say more than 100 people are believed to have suffered brain injuries from riding the roller coaster over the past two years. Further legal action could be launched in the coming weeks.

According to the Six Flags Magic Mountain website, the X2 roller coaster reaches a maximum speed of 122 km/h and is 1,100 meters long. The seats rotate 360 ​​degrees “so your body never stops spinning,” and the course has two “crow turns” — half-loops that turn into dizzying drops halfway through. They debuted in the park in 2002 as the X, as the world's first "fourth dimension" roller coaster, then reopened in 2008 as the X2, with new cars and special effects.