Six Flags retires its X2 coaster after brain injury lawsuits. It says the ride passed every test

Six Flags Magic Mountain will not reopen its X2 roller coaster, the Associated Press reported on 29 September. The ride had been shut since the evening of 12 July. Lawyers for riders say more than 100 people have claimed brain injuries after riding it in the past two years.

Brian Oerding announced the closure without admitting a fault

The park’s president, Brian Oerding, posted the decision online. He said X2 “consistently passed a multitude of safety tests”. He added that the park was closing it because it believed that was “the right thing to do”. He also wrote that when guest confidence is affected, the company takes it seriously.

PR Daily, a trade site for communicators, said the wording does two jobs. It shows the company acting on public worry, but it does not admit that the ride was unsafe. That matters while lawsuits are open.

Three new lawsuits reached Six Flags a week before the decision

X2 opened in 2002 as X and reopened in 2008 under its current name. Its seats rotate 360 degrees, and it reaches speeds close to 80 mph. In July two women were taken to hospital with brain injuries within a week, and the park closed the ride.

In late August, Six Flags settled a wrongful-death lawsuit over a 22-year-old rider who died in 2022. Three more lawsuits alleging traumatic brain injuries were filed the week before the closure. California’s workplace safety agency has been investigating since July. Gary Dordick, an attorney for injured riders, gave the figure of more than 100 claims.

DoorDash and Converse chose a different tone this year

Other brands under pressure have gone further. DoorDash said plainly that it had screwed up when it settled with New York. Converse apologised for its Chuck 70 ad. Six Flags kept to a statement about trust and testing.

The test of this approach comes in court. Six Flags will have to defend the safety record it cited in each of the open cases, while the California safety investigation that began in July is still open.