Six Flags X2 roller coaster brain injuriesWhat the record shows, and what to do.

This page is for riders, and families of riders, who rode X2 and later had head symptoms or a brain injury diagnosis. It covers the ride's status, the lawsuits as reported, Six Flags' statements, delayed symptoms in medical sources' own words, the ticket terms, deadlines and records. It does not cover product claims against the company that built X2's trains, or injuries on other rides, which our guide to amusement park and ride injuries explains. Esta página en español.

Wise Personal Injury & Accident Law, APC is not affiliated with Six Flags and does not represent anyone in the lawsuits described on this page.

Emergency care first

MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's consumer health site, gives the reason in its head injury first aid page: "The head may look fine, but problems could result from bleeding or swelling inside the skull." When you see a doctor, say that you rode X2 and on what date, and describe when each symptom began. That history goes into the chart, and the chart is the first record anyone reads later.

X2 status today

As of October 5, 2026, X2 is closed, and Six Flags says it will not reopen. A Six Flags spokesperson told ABC7 in September that the ride "has been closed since the evening of July 12." On September 29, 2026, Six Flags published a post titled "Retiring X2" that begins: "After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2." The post says that since X2 opened in 2008, "it has welcomed more than 16 million guests."

The state agency for permanent rides is Cal/OSHA's Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit, which runs the Permanent Amusement Ride Safety Inspection Program under Labor Code sections 7920 to 7932; its Santa Ana office covers Southern California. On August 13, 2026, KHTS relayed the agency's statement that it "has opened an inspection into the reported incident involving the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain." That August 13 report was the first public account of the closure, about a month after it happened. On September 30, the Associated Press reported through NBC News that the investigation "remains ongoing."

No Cal/OSHA citation, order or finding about X2 has been published, and the Department of Industrial Relations press room listed no release about X2 as of October 5, 2026. Two questions remain open. Whether Six Flags made the telephone report that Labor Code section 7925 requires is not public, and CNN reported that Six Flags did not answer when asked whether it notified the state. Whether the July 12 closure was ordered or voluntary is also unknown; Six Flags describes the retirement as its own decision.

The company that runs the park is Magic Mountain LLC. The Court of Appeal, in Smith v. Magic Mountain LLC (2024), described it as the company that "operates the Six Flags amusement park in Valencia, California." Six Flags Entertainment Corporation lists Magic Mountain LLC as a California subsidiary in its 2025 annual report. Our Santa Clarita page covers other injuries in and around Valencia.

Upcoming: an October 22, 2026 hearing on the train maker's request to approve its settlement in the 2022 death case, and an August 16, 2027 trial date in the 2020 ride case. We will add each event to this log when it happens.

Lawsuits and allegations

Three lawsuits were filed on Monday, September 21, 2026, CNN reported. According to NBC News, they are for riders who rode X2 on February 7, July 5 and July 11, 2026, were filed in California Superior Court, and name Six Flags, the company that built X2's trains, and "several other people." KHTS reported that the defendants include current and former park employees. Case numbers have not been reported. Each suit is for one rider, and no group case has been reported.

As reported, the lawsuits allege that riders' heads struck the headrest, that they had bleeding in or around the brain, that some needed emergency brain surgery, and that they live with lasting cognitive problems (Associated Press; NBC Los Angeles). In one suit, bleeding was found by MRI months after a February ride, KHTS reported. NBC News reported that another suit alleges Six Flags "continued to operate X2 without adequately investigating the cause of her injury or warning subsequent riders" after the July 5 ride.

Before the suits were filed, CNN reported on August 27 that three neurosurgeons who treated the two riders hurt in July wrote, in an email CNN reviewed: "In our professional opinion, the severe brain injuries requiring emergent neurosurgical attention were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride." That is the treating surgeons' opinion as CNN quoted it, not a finding by a court or an agency.

The same CNN investigation reported that X2 "has been linked to more than a dozen reports of serious injuries and hospitalizations over nearly two decades," based on "a review of medical records, depositions and legal filings," and that two of those riders died. The firm that filed the three suits, Dordick Law, says it has been retained by more than 100 other riders, KHTS and the Associated Press reported. That is the firm's figure. CNN wrote that it "was not able to independently verify the claims of riders who recently came forward." We name the firm only to make clear that those riders are other lawyers' clients.

Two earlier cases have court records. The parents of a young man who rode X2 in June 2022 and died the following day sued in 2023, CNN reported. FOX 11 reported that attorneys filed papers on August 26, 2026 confirming a settlement with Magic Mountain, and that the terms are confidential. The defendants "denied liability and maintained that X2 operated within accepted industry standards," KHTS reported. The company that built X2's trains asked the court to approve its own settlement, with a hearing set for October 22, 2026, City News Service reported.

A rider who alleged a traumatic brain injury and subdural hematoma after a February 2020 ride sued in November 2021 (Los Angeles County Superior Court case 21STCV41513). Magic Mountain and Six Flags were dismissed as defendants in May 2024, City News Service reported through ABC7. On February 17, 2026, the Court of Appeal reversed summary judgment for the train maker in case B341028, finding triable issues of fact. That opinion is unpublished, so under California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115, it decided that case only and cannot be cited as law. Trial is set for August 16, 2027, according to City News Service via KFI. CNN's investigation also described earlier X2 lawsuits.

Six Flags' position

Six Flags' public statements on the lawsuits are short. A spokesperson told ABC7 and NBC Los Angeles: "It is our policy not to comment on pending litigation." The retirement post says: "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." It adds: "Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously."

In court, Six Flags' lawyers have defended the ride. CNN reported that they pointed to a sign warning that "there are inherent risks in the participation in or on any amusement ride or attraction," and said X2's forces are not strong enough to cause a traumatic brain injury for a "normal" rider using it "as instructed." In the 2022 death case, CNN reported, Six Flags argued that the ride falls within approved industry standards.

In the 2020 ride case, an expert declaration first filed by Magic Mountain concluded that "X2 did not produce sufficient ride forces to cause a subdural hematoma or any traumatic brain injury," as the Court of Appeal's opinion quotes it. Magic Mountain's lawyers also wrote that "there were no known component part failures on the X2 ride that would potentially cause injuries to riders," City News Service reported through ABC7. The Court of Appeal still found a triable issue on causation in that case, meaning the question was left for trial.

Six Flags' Ride Safety at Six Flags page says that, beyond "daily inspections conducted by park teams," its attractions are evaluated by "Independent third-party ride inspection firms," "State ride inspectors, where applicable," insurance inspectors, and Six Flags' own engineering and safety staff. It tells guests who are unwell, recently had a medical procedure, took medication within 72 hours, or have a condition that "may be affected by the forces of a ride" that "the safest choice is to sit this one out." A rider's claim should expect to meet each of those points: the ride's testing, its warnings, and the rider's own health history.

Delayed head injury symptoms

Medical sources say head injury symptoms do not always appear on the day of the injury. MedlinePlus says: "Symptoms of a head injury can occur right away or may develop slowly over several hours or days." Its traumatic brain injury page adds: "Some symptoms may not occur right away and show up a few days or weeks later," and "A person can also have a mild TBI and not realize it." The NICHD, part of the National Institutes of Health, says "some symptoms appear right away, while others may appear several days or even weeks later and evolve over time."

A subdural hematoma is the injury alleged in the 2020 ride case, and the 2026 suits describe bleeding inside the skull. MedlinePlus defines a subdural hematoma as "a collection of blood between the covering of the brain (dura) and the surface of the brain." It can form when "tiny veins between the surface of the brain and its outer covering (the dura) stretch and tear, allowing blood to collect." MedlinePlus also says: "A subdural hematoma is a medical emergency."

Cleveland Clinic adds that the slower, chronic type "might be mistaken for other conditions, such as a brain tumor, stroke or dementia." The American Association of Neurological Surgeons notes that "Delayed hematomas may be discovered when a patient's neurological exam worsens." None of these sources discusses X2, and none can say what produced one person's symptoms. Only a clinician who examines you can assess that.

If you rode X2 and have had headaches, dizziness, confusion, or changes that other people noticed, write each one down with its date. Our concussion symptom tracker keeps that log. Our guides to post-concussion syndrome and proving a mild TBI explain how those records are read later.

Research on roller coaster head injuries

Doctors have published case reports since at least 1994 describing bleeding under the dura after roller coaster rides, usually in cautious language about cause. Studies that measured riders' head motion on ordinary coasters point the other way. A 2002 study in the Journal of Neurotrauma concluded that its "findings do not support the contention that current roller coaster rides produce high enough forces to mechanically deform and injure the brain." A 2009 study of head motion on three coasters reached a similar view.

A 2017 Stanford study of two riders found brain strains similar to mild soccer headers and below the average concussion strain, and found that the two riders "experienced significantly different head kinematics and brain deformation" on the same ride. It concluded that rides "do not present an immediate risk of acute brain injury" but that "their long-term effects require further longitudinal study." Several case reports involve other factors, such as blood thinners, an earlier fluid collection or an aneurysm. We found no published study of the 2026 X2 reports.

Operator duties under California law

California can hold a ride operator to the duty of a common carrier, the heightened duty a bus or train owes its passengers. Civil Code section 2100 says: "A carrier of persons for reward must use the utmost care and diligence for their safe carriage, must provide everything necessary for that purpose, and must exercise to that end a reasonable degree of skill." Section 2101 adds that a carrier "is bound to provide vehicles safe and fit for the purposes to which they are put."

In Gomez v. Superior Court (2005) 35 Cal.4th 1125, a rider's family alleged a brain injury and death after a Disneyland ride. The California Supreme Court held that "the operator of a roller coaster or similar amusement park ride can be a carrier of persons for reward under sections 2100 and 2101." The case reached the Court on a demurrer, an early challenge to the complaint, so it decided only that those claims could go forward. It did not decide liability, and it repeated that "Common carriers are not, however, insurers of their passengers' safety." In Smith v. Magic Mountain LLC (2024), the Court of Appeal held that the heightened duty did not reach a patron hurt in a queue before boarding.

The defense answer is primary assumption of risk, the rule that an operator owes no duty to protect against risks inherent in an activity. In Knight v. Jewett (1992) 3 Cal.4th 296, the Court said defendants "generally do have a duty to use due care not to increase the risks to a participant over and above those inherent in the sport." In Nalwa v. Cedar Fair, L.P. (2012) 55 Cal.4th 1148, a bumper car case, the Court wrote: "We do not agree that the existence of safety regulations governing amusement park rides exempts them from the primary assumption of risk doctrine." Nalwa also adopted a lower-court justice's point that "A rider of a roller coaster has no control over the elements of thrill of the ride."

No California Supreme Court decision applies primary assumption of risk to a roller coaster rider's serious brain injury against an operator that owes the carrier duty. That question is open. Our guide to amusement park and ride injuries covers the operator's duty, assumption of risk and ride inspection law in full.

Ticket and pass terms

Six Flags tickets and passes come with written terms. The current Ticket Terms and Conditions say "Last updated: August 5, 2026," and the Season Pass and Membership Terms say "Last updated: July 27, 2026." Both dates fall after the February 7, July 5 and July 11 rides in the 2026 lawsuits. We have not retrieved earlier versions, so which text applied to a given ride is unknown. The current versions contain these provisions.

• Assumption of risk. The guest assumes "ALL RISKS, HAZARDS, AND DANGERS, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, INHERENT OR OTHERWISE," to the fullest extent permitted by law.
• Covenant not to sue and release. The guest agrees not to sue and releases claims, "INCLUDING CLAIMS ALLEGED TO RESULT FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF ANY RELEASED PARTIES," for themselves and "ANY MINOR FOR WHOM YOU ARE LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE."
• Indemnity. The guest agrees to "defend, indemnify and hold harmless" Six Flags and related parties.
• Arbitration. Disputes "MUST BE SUBMITTED TO BINDING ARBITRATION UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT," before the American Arbitration Association, after a written Notice of Dispute sent by registered mail.
• No class or mass arbitration. "Six Flags does not consent to have any disputes arbitrated using class action or mass arbitration procedures." When 25 or more similar notices come from the same or coordinated counsel, a "Coordinated Cases" process applies.
• Individual claims, no jury. Claims proceed only "in an individual capacity," and both documents waive "any right to a trial by jury."

California law limits what such terms can do. Civil Code section 1668 says contracts that exempt anyone "from responsibility for his own fraud, or willful injury to the person or property of another, or violation of law, whether willful or negligent, are against the policy of the law." For common carriers, section 2174 says "The obligations of a common carrier cannot be limited by general notice on his part, but may be limited by special contract," and section 2175 says a carrier "cannot be exonerated, by any agreement made in anticipation thereof, from liability for the gross negligence, fraud, or willful wrong of himself or his servants."

In City of Santa Barbara v. Superior Court (2007) 41 Cal.4th 747, the Supreme Court held that "an agreement made in the context of sports or recreational programs or services, purporting to release liability for future gross negligence, generally is unenforceable as a matter of public policy." How these rules apply to one ticket, one ride date and one claim has not been decided for X2. Do not assume the terms end a claim, and do not assume they are void. Keep your confirmation email, because it shows which terms you accepted and when.

Filing deadlines

A statute of limitations is the deadline to file a lawsuit. For an injury, Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 sets it: "Within two years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another." The clock usually starts when the claim accrues, which is ordinarily the day of the injury. Our deadline calculator and table of California injury deadlines lay out the basic dates.

The delayed discovery rule can move the start date, but less than many riders hope. In Jolly v. Eli Lilly & Co. (1988) 44 Cal.3d 1103, the Supreme Court said "the statute of limitations begins to run when the plaintiff suspects or should suspect that her injury was caused by wrongdoing," and that a plaintiff "cannot wait for the facts to find her." Fox v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (2005) 35 Cal.4th 797 describes a rule that "postpones accrual of a cause of action until the plaintiff discovers, or has reason to discover, the cause of action." A rider who had a headache or dizziness on the ride date may be found to have had reason to suspect that day. A diagnosis months later does not automatically move the start date.

Section 352(a) pauses the clock for a person who was a minor or lacked "the legal capacity to make decisions" at "the time the cause of action accrued." For a child, the two years generally start at 18, as our post on minors' injury claims explains. For an adult left unable to make decisions by the injury itself, whether that incapacity existed when the claim accrued is a question of fact, so a family should not rely on the pause.

If a rider has died, two claims may exist. The family's wrongful death claim belongs to the relatives listed in section 377.60. The estate's survival action is the claim the person would have brought. Under section 377.34, for actions filed on or after January 1, 2026, survival damages "do not include damages for pain, suffering, or disfigurement." Our pages on survival actions and who can file explain both.

The six-month government claim rule in Government Code section 911.2 applies only to public entities, and no public entity is a reported X2 defendant. For visitors from another state or country, California's two-year rule is the usual starting point for an injury in California. Six Flags' terms add an arbitration process and say they "will be governed by and construed in accordance with U.S. federal law to the fullest extent possible," so those clauses still need reading.

Records to gather and request

Other records sit with Six Flags and the state. Under Labor Code section 7924(f), the owner of a permanent ride keeps "records of accidents of which the operator has knowledge, that resulted from the failure, malfunction, or operation of a permanent amusement ride and that required medical service other than ordinary first aid." Under 8 CCR 3195.12, accident records are kept for at least five years and list the people involved and their injuries.

Labor Code section 7925(a) requires an operator to report a death or serious injury "immediately by telephone" and to preserve "the equipment or conditions that caused the accident" for the state's investigation. Under 8 CCR 344.15, once Cal/OSHA decides preservation is needed, it "shall make a reasonable effort to initiate the inspection within 24 hours"; the 24 hours is the agency's target, not the operator's reporting deadline. A willful or intentional violation that results in death or serious injury carries a civil penalty of $25,000 to $70,000 under section 7930.

Anyone can ask for Cal/OSHA records under the California Public Records Act, online, by email, by mail or in person, through the DIR public records page. Under Government Code section 7922.535, the agency must decide within 10 days whether it will release records, a period that can be extended by up to 14 days. Expect redactions and possible delays: 8 CCR 344.17 keeps some ride documentation confidential, and Government Code section 7923.600 lets agencies withhold certain investigatory files, which may matter while the X2 inspection is open.

Existing lawyer relationships

If you already have a lawyer for an X2 injury, including one of the firms named in the news, take your questions to that lawyer first. We will not interfere with an existing attorney relationship.

Talking with us

If you rode X2 and want an attorney to review what happened, contact us. The form at the end of this page asks for a name and phone number. Everything else is optional: whether you rode or a family member did, roughly when, whether you went to an emergency room, any head or brain diagnosis or surgery, how you got into the park, and whether you kept the ticket, app history or photos. Those answers let an attorney check the deadline and the terms that may apply before calling you. If another lawyer already represents you on X2, the form says so and stops. We do not reach out to riders; you decide whether to contact us. Our before-you-call checklist lists what helps to have in hand, and our Los Angeles brain injury attorney page explains how we handle brain injury claims.

Josh Kohanim, Esq. is the firm's founder and trial attorney. Call (424) 235-7879, where Spanish-speaking staff answer the phone, or use the form. No fee unless we recover. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee and no case costs.