Six Flags has permanently shut down its embattled X2 rollercoaster in Valencia, California, the company announced on Tuesday, as a groundswell of past riders have come forward with allegations of serious injuries. X2, a Magic Mountain park favorite, which reaches up to 76mph (about 122km/h) and has seats that can rotate 360 degrees, had been closed since mid-July. In August, a CNN investigation revealed two riders had suffered brain hemorrhages in July.
One of the two, Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, remains hospitalized in a semi-conscious state, according to her lawyers Gary Dordick and Christopher Bulone. CNN also found at least two deaths allegedly linked to X2. The scope of X2’s alleged harm has ballooned after the network’s reporting.
More than 100 people have said they were injured by the ride according to Bulone and Dordick, who filed three new civil lawsuits against the amusement park. The attorneys have called X2 “defective” and accused the amusement park of failing to adequately warn riders of the risk for head and brain injuries, according to court documents. Brian Oerding, the Magic Mountain park president, alluded to the public controversy while announcing X2’s closure.
Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously,” he wrote in a Tuesday blog post. We recognize the special place X2 holds in the coaster community, and we are grateful to our team members who operated and maintained it throughout its run.”
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