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Six Flags

Six Flags Closes World-Famous Roller Coaster After Brain Injury Lawsuits 

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Six Flags announced this week that it will be permanently closing its X2 roller coaster, one of its most famous, after an investigation performed by CNN exposed a long history of life-altering injuries, and even deaths linked to the ride. 

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Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding published a blog post this week stating that while the “X2 roller coaster has consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do.”

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

CNN’s investigation took place last month and found allegations that the roller coaster has been injuring riders for over a decade but has been “kept under wraps.” 

There have been a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations linked to the ride including at least two deaths. The most recent finding was two women who ended up in the same Santa Clarita emergency room with brain injuries after riding X2 only six days apart this summer. 

The ride itself was temporarily closed after the second woman’s injury. Just last week, attorneys held a news conference reporting that there were over 100 new victims who came forward regarding brain injuries they sustained from allegedly riding X2. 

Those new victims were from the last two years alone. 

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Three lawsuits were filed last week from three riders who suffered life-threatening injuries this year. The three lawsuits all allege that Six Flags officials had plenty of notice of the alleged dangers of the ride and should never have kept it running. 

One of the riders from the three recent suits is 26-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson who is currently in a coma. She boarded the ride just six days after another individual, Pamela Guillen, lost consciousness when she got off the roller coaster and had to get emergency brain surgery. 

“This is long overdue,” Greer-Wilkinson’s parents told CNN. 

“Six Flags knew years ago that X2 was putting people at grave risk and chose to continue gambling with their lives anyway.”

“This should have happened long before Naomi’s brain injury but we’re happy to hear that now finally no one else’s daughter or sister will ever be hurt on this ride again.”

Guillen is luckily out of the hospital, but had to learn how to walk and talk again and still battles awful headaches, brain fog, and needs medication to prevent seizures. 

“I’m relieved that X2 is closing for good. I never should have been hurt, and neither should the others who were. … I also hope Six Flags will put better safety and inspection measures in place across all of its parks and rides,” she told the publication. 

Bob Saget’s Death A Tragic Reminder Of The Importance Of Seeking Medical Attention When It Comes To Head Injury

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This past Wednesday Bob Saget’s family released a statement which described how authorities discovered that Saget passed away from head trauma. 

“They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it, and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.” 

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Saget was 65 and had been embarking on his comedy tour at the time of his untimely death. He was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Orlando, Florida after performing. The statement didn’t detail what or how Saget may have hit his head. 

CNN’s chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta said it sounded like a “possible bleed on top of the brain”which may have resulted in a subdural hematoma.”

“There is a blood collection in this scenario that’s on top of the brain pushing on the brain. The thing about the brain, unlike any other organ in the body, it’s obviously encased in a hard skull so it has nowhere to go if it has this kind of pressure on it.”

If pressure is placed on the brain and brainstem, it can result in a person losing consciousness and their ability to breath on their own. 

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“It may have been a pretty significant blow to the head. Maybe a fall in the bathroom, or on the headboard of your bed, you don’t think anything of it. Small veins can tear as a result of that blow and blood can start to leak,” Gupta explained. 

Saget’s passing reminded many fans of Natasha Richardson, the late actress who passed away after hitting her head during a skiing lesson after initially declining medical treatment after the fall. Mark Shaud, the younger brother of Duchess of Cornwall Camilla also passed away after falling and hitting his head on the sidewalk. 

Gupta explained how subdural hematomas are “far more common than people realize, they can develop over hours, or even weeks.” 

Gupta explained how typically one will experience a headache, slurred speech, confusion, nausea, and vomiting when a subdural hematoma is occurring. It’s vital that the individual seeks medical treatment as quickly as possible when a potential head injury has occured. 

“I don’t want to suggest that everyone who hits their head needs to go get a [computed tomography also known as a CT or CAT)] scan. Most do not need that obviously. But if it’s a significant blow, you’re on blood thinners …and again those symptoms: worsening headaches, confusion, nausea, vomiting, slurring of speech, things like that are unusual. You should definitely go get that checked out,” Gupta said.