The X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain remained closed on Aug. 27, 2026, following reports that two riders suffered similar brain haemorrhages after riding it six days apart. The Valencia, California, attraction had been out of operation since July 12.
Both women lost consciousness and underwent surgery, according to a CNN investigation described by The Hollywood Reporter. Three neurosurgeons who treated them linked the injuries to rapid acceleration and deceleration experienced on the ride. The second rider was reported to be in a coma.
The supplied account did not identify either woman or provide the exact dates of their rides. It said the attraction continued operating after the first injury and closed following the second. The park declined to answer questions about the July cases, while a spokesperson confirmed only that X2 remained closed.
X2 is a high-speed roller coaster with near-vertical drops and seats that rotate independently as the train travels along the track. It opened in 2002 and developed a strong following among roller-coaster enthusiasts. Its design exposes riders to changing positions as the cars move through the course.
The investigation also reviewed a broader record of reported incidents. It identified more than a dozen injury or hospitalisation reports associated with X2 and said two earlier cases were fatal. Both people who died were in their twenties and had brain injuries; one had a pre-existing brain abnormality. Six Flags records separately listed at least 70 head and neck complaints between 2019 and 2022.
Those historical figures describe complaints and reported cases, not a finding that the ride caused every injury. The evidence supplied for this report did not include an assessment from a regulator, a new engineering inspection, or a formal determination of fault in the July incidents.
Six Flags has defended the attraction by pointing to warning signs about the inherent risks of amusement rides. The company said X2 is tested regularly and complies with industry safety standards. Its lawyers have previously argued that the ride's forces are insufficient to injure the brain of a person without an abnormal vulnerability when the attraction is used according to instructions. In at least one earlier case, park attorneys blamed a rider's negligence.
The treating neurosurgeons' assessment of the two recent cases and the company's general defence therefore present sharply different positions. As of the Aug. 27 event date, X2's continued closure was the clearest operational response, while questions about the two injuries, the ride's inspection status and any conditions for reopening remained unanswered in the supplied reporting.
