Attorneys say more than 100 riders allegedly sustained brain injuries on X2

Three neurosurgeons who treated two women at the same Santa Clarita emergency room six days apart in July wrote in an email reviewed by CNN that the women’s severe brain injuries resulted from the X2 ride itself, according to UPI reporting Tuesday.

“The severe brain injuries requiring emergent neurosurgical attention were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride,” the neurosurgeons wrote. CNN reported the women suffered “alarmingly similar” brain hemorrhages of the sort sustained by patients after high-speed collisions. X2 has been closed since July 12, a day after the latest injury.

The neurosurgeons’ email was part of a broader CNN investigation in August that reviewed medical records, depositions and legal filings. That investigation documented “more than a dozen” reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations connected to the coaster, including at least two deaths, UPI reported. Some of those injured suffered “life-altering disabilities” or “fell into comas,” according to CNN.

Six Flags announced Tuesday it will permanently retire the X2 coaster at its Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, Calif., about a month after CNN’s investigation. Brian Oerding, president of Six Flags Magic Mountain, said in a written statement that the coaster has “earned a passionate following among ride enthusiasts,” but that it will remain permanently closed.

“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,” Oerding wrote. “Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”

Last week, attorneys suing Magic Mountain said more than 100 people over the past two years allegedly sustained brain injuries after riding X2, UPI reported.

The X2 steel coaster featured seats that rotate 360 degrees around the track, near-vertical drops and trains that reach speeds of nearly 80 mph, according to UPI. It first opened in 2002 as X and reopened in 2008 as X2 after several upgrades.