LOS ANGELES — Six Flags Magic Mountain has agelong considered itself “The Thrill Capital of the World,” a competitory rubric successful a satellite of utmost amusement parks vying to beryllium the biggest, baddest and astir intense.
And the X2 thrust has for years been the Valencia park’s crown jewel, the first roller coaster successful the satellite that spun riders 360 degrees successful their seats.
“There’s nary different coaster rather similar it,” said Derek Perry, a spokesperson for the American Coaster Enthusiasts organization. “X2 is the 1 that radical tally to.”
But X2 has travel nether adjacent inspection aft respective lawsuits allege radical were injured connected the ride. Six Flags unopen down X2 successful July amid a authorities probe into the coaster. The authorities bureau that inspects amusement parks, Cal/OSHA, did not respond to questions astir the probe oregon erstwhile it mightiness beryllium implicit due to the fact that it’s ongoing.
One parent who has been surviving with the grief of losing her lad was “sickened” to perceive that much injuries occurred this year, 4 years aft her lad died soon aft riding X2.
“It’s truthful beyond thing that should ever happen,” Anne Hawley said.
A son’s death
Hawley’s son, Christopher, was 22 connected June 23, 2022 erstwhile helium and his member rode X2, billed by the parkland as“a [rite] of transition for the eventual daredevil.” He had occupation walking instantly aft getting off, past rapidly mislaid consciousness. Doctors recovered terrible encephalon bleeding. He died the adjacent day, attributable to caput trauma from a “park thrust accident,” according to the complaint, which cited a coroner’s report.
The institution that manufactured the trains for the thrust said successful tribunal filings that the thrust was tested aft the incidental and was recovered to beryllium operating arsenic intended.
The Hawley household sued Magic Mountain successful 2023 and settled for an undisclosed magnitude past month.
Other lawsuits person claimed injuries akin to the 1 Hawley suffered.
Hilda Farias was 28 erstwhile she rode X2 successful 2010 and developed a encephalon bleed that led to her death, according to tribunal records. Sheila Katerelos claimed successful different suit she suffered a traumatic encephalon wounded successful 2020 aft riding X2. Lucy Alvarez claimed successful a 3rd suit she sustained a traumatic encephalon wounded successful 2021 aft riding X2, causing her “great physical, intelligence and tense symptom and suffering.”
Lawyers for the institution that manufactured X2’s trains cited a biomechanical engineering adept who concluded it couldn’t person produced the benignant of forces that would person caused immoderate traumatic encephalon wounded to Katerelos, according to a 2024 tribunal filing. The institution besides claimed the headrest padding was capable to support her from encephalon injury. The trials successful Katerelos’ and Alvarez’s cases are scheduled for adjacent year.
CNN reported past period that X2 has been linked to much than a twelve reports of superior injuries and hospitalizations implicit the past 2 decades, including the deaths of Hawley and Farias. The study said 2 radical suffered encephalon hemorrhages successful July aft riding X2, requiring surgical intervention.
Six Flags did not respond to questions astir the lawsuits oregon the past of reported injuries.
A daring design
What made the thrust unsocial erstwhile it opened was its design: The seats are connected the broadside of the track, allowing riders’ feet to dangle beneath oregon supra them arsenic their spot spins guardant oregon backward. At the beginning, riders are taken up a slope portion facing backward and, astatine the peak, their seats rotation guardant arsenic they hurtle toward the crushed headfirst.
The thrust was expected to beryllium a nationalist relations coup for its manufacturer, Arrow Dynamics. But it opened astir six months late, according to a commercialized publication, and the costs bankrupted the company. Months aft the thrust opened successful 2002, it had to beryllium closed to repair plan flaws. Then, successful 2007, it was closed again to regenerate the trains with lighter ones.
Roller coaster aficionados accent that reported injuries request to beryllium weighed against the thousands of riders who person been connected X2 without incident. Perry said helium has been connected it respective 100 times and believes it to beryllium perfectly safe.
“I anticipation it reopens soon and we get to thrust it again,” Perry said. “I’ll beryllium archetypal successful line.”
A seasoned coaster enthusiast who said helium has ridden much than 2,600 coasters astir the world, Martin Lewison said helium wouldn’t hesitate to thrust X2 again contempt the study of caller injuries.
But Lewison, an subordinate prof astatine Farmingdale State College and a Six Flags shareholder, acknowledged it is an “extreme” and “aggressive” roller coaster. As a seasoned rider, helium said helium has learned to thrust “defensively,” which connected X2 means being cautious to debar hitting your caput against the headrest arsenic the seats rotation guardant and backward.
Anne Hawley has a antithetic perspective.
“If a thrust injures somebody, adjacent it down and find retired why,” she said. “If a thrust kills somebody, don’t commencement it up again.”
A past of thrills
Magic Mountain has a agelong past of innovation successful the satellite of roller coasters. While Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm played to families, Magic Mountain billed itself arsenic the taxable parkland for existent thrills.
In the 1970s, it was the iconic Revolution, which thrilled riders with its afloat vertical loop. Then came Colossus, whose 100-foot driblet and 60-mph velocity was cutting borderline astatine the time. The 1990s brought the Viper, which officials described arsenic ”the tallest, fastest-looping alloy roller coaster successful the world” with vertical loops, corkscrews and a boomerang loop. Then came Batman and Riddler themed rides and a coaster named Goliath that featured a 235-foot escaped fall.
But the roller coaster satellite is competitive, and taxable parks request to support up with the latest technology.
By the 2000s, determination were increasing concerns astir the imaginable wellness effects of each those thrills crossed the industry. A study by The Times successful 2001 noted respective studies suggested circumstantial encephalon injuries were linked to thrill rides but noted the information were constricted and inconclusive. That year, a Goliath rider died of a encephalon aneurysm. The Los Angeles County Coroner concluded the thrust did not cause the aneurysm “but lone caused a rupture of a preexisting, terrible and fragile aneurysm.” Her household sued.
The institution precocious announced a caller thrill thrust astatine Magic Mountain: the Thrill Glider.
Times taxable parkland professional Todd Martens said it “combines a motorbike-like seating statement with suspended coaster technologies. Riders volition committee what the parkland is referring to ‘hoverbikes,’ fundamentally motorcycle vehicles designed to simulate a flying sensation by being suspended from the track. Riders volition beryllium seated successful a prone, face-forward presumption that volition bent from the way above.”
It’s acceptable to unfastened successful 2027.
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English (US)·