X2 has been closed since July 12. Two women needed emergency brain surgery within six days of riding Six Flags Magic Mountain’s X2 roller coaster. The incidents have raised fresh questions about the safety of the ride. The roller coaster is located at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
She then began vomiting and soon lost consciousness. Greer-Wilkinson also lost consciousness shortly after riding the coaster. The medical examiner listed Hawley’s cause of death as blunt head trauma from a “park ride accident. Hawley was the second person to die in connection with X2. Two women suffered severe brain injuries after riding X2 just six days apart. She was visiting Six Flags Magic Mountain with her family for her daughter’s 16th birthday. Guillen rode X2 during the family trip. Ambulance records say she repeatedly hit her head against the ride’s headrest. When the coaster returned to the station, Guillen needed help getting out.
An expert hired by Hawley’s family later said Six Flags’ internal records showed at least 70 complaints involving head or neck injuries on X2 during the three years before Hawley’s death. The latest incidents happened in July 2026. The first woman was 40-year-old Pamela Guillen from Hawaii. Six days later, 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode X2 with her siblings.
Guillen’s daughter Camille Marquez said she tried to wake her mother. Marquez recalled saying, “Mommy, please wake up,” while rubbing and shaking her mother. Her family said she was rushed to the hospital and needed emergency brain surgery. Doctors told Greer-Wilkinson’s parents that she had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. They also warned the family to prepare for the worst, according to her parents. Her mother, Artemis Greer, said Naomi should never have had the chance to get on X2.
State officials have not yet announced when the inspection will be completed or when X2 could reopen, according to a CNN investigation. He later collapsed and lost consciousness. The ride has seats that rotate 360 degrees while the train travels at speeds approaching 80 mph. In June 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley rode X2 with his brother and cousin. Court records say he died less than 10 hours after riding X2.
X2 is one of the park’s best-known roller coasters. A review of medical records, court filings and depositions found more than a dozen serious injury and hospitalization reports linked to X2 over nearly two decades. The CNN investigation found that some riders suffered permanent disabilities or went into comas. Hawley became lightheaded after getting off the ride. Doctors found severe bleeding inside Hawley’s head. The bleeding was putting pressure on his brain and forcing it toward one side of his skull. Hawley’s brain swelled badly during emergency surgery.
Hawley was a recent college graduate, according to court records.
