Six Flags Magic Mountain announced the retirement of its X2 roller coaster amid allegations that the ride has resulted in severe brain injuries.
“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do,” Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”
Dordick Law Firm filed three separate lawsuits Sept. 21, all of which accuse the theme park of negligence. The firm alleges Six Flags failed to address safety issues and inform park guests of potential hazards.
Pamela Guillen’s lawsuit states that she rode X2 on July 5 with her 16-year-old daughter. Following the ride, her daughter noticed Guillen was dazed, confused and unstable before she later collapsed.
Guillen was transported to a nearby hospital, “where imaging revealed a massive intracranial hemorrhage and life-threatening traumatic brain injury,” according to the lawsuit.
Dordick Law Firm claims Six Flags failed to investigate the cause of Guillen’s injuries and that the ride remained open.
Just six days later, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode the same roller coaster, causing her to lose consciousness, according to the lawsuit. She was transported to the same hospital where Guillen was treated.
Greer-Wilkinson has remained in a coma since that day and is currently relying on machines to breathe.
Gary Dordick, founder of Dordick Law Firm, told Los Angeles that hospital staff noticed the severe injuries they believed resulted from the same Magic Mountain ride and called the theme park, requesting that it immediately shut down the ride. According to Dordick, the ride was closed the following day, with the park citing “maintenance” as the reason.
Six Flags has maintained that its X2 ride was not at fault and allegedly claimed that injured riders must have had a preexisting susceptibility. Dordick claims his clients were healthy before riding X2 and said theme parkgoers should not have to be concerned about suffering life-threatening injuries on rides.
“Nobody goes to an amusement park thinking they’re going to get killed or seriously injured because they want to have a little fun,” Dordick said. “It’s gone too far, and they need to have greater precautions than what they have.”
Los Angeles reached out to Six Flags for additional comment following the closure of the ride, and its team responded, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
Dordick told Los Angeles he believes the company is hiding behind those words.
“The truth is, they have been aware of many, many serious injuries and death, and they haven’t done anything. Now the evidence is overwhelming,” Dordick alleged.
Dordick Law Firm said it has been contacted by more than 400 individuals claiming injury from the ride. The firm is seeking to consolidate the lawsuits and present the case in Los Angeles County Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles.
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