Garden Grove family alleges Six Flags rollercoaster caused son's death
LOS ANGELES - A Garden Grove couple has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags Magic Mountain, alleging their son died from a fatal injury sustained while riding a roller coaster at the Valencia theme park.
What we know
Anne and William Hawley have filed a lawsuit against Magic Mountain, claiming the X2 roller coaster caused the fatal brain injury of their son, Christopher, a 22-year-old recent graduate of San Diego State University.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred on June 23, 2022 when Christopher was riding the roller coaster with his brother and cousin. The ride abruptly stopped, causing Christopher to experience severe head pain and eventually lose consciousness.
The lawsuit alleges negligence, design defects, and failure to warn customers of potential dangers associated with the ride.
What they're saying
Ari Friedman, the family's attorney, stated, "This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2. X2 has been linked to previous incidents, where people received whiplash, head and leg injuries, and more, from the ride's sudden shuddering and jolts."
The backstory
The X2 roller coaster features rotating seats, a 215-foot drop, and speeds up to 76 mph, the lawsuit claims. The ride is known for its sudden flips and rotations.
The Hawleys' lawsuit highlights previous incidents linked to X2, including whiplash and other injuries.
Here's how X2 is described on the Magic Mountain website:
"Go ahead and take in the view on the long ride up, 200 feet in the air. Enjoy the ride of your life on this one-of-a-kind coaster with a groundbreaking use of fire, carefully designed to heighten your total sensory overload. X2's utterly innovative design will keep your mind in full thrust the entire time.
Your 360-degree seats extend on wings far off the track. So while you are careening down the rails at 76 miles per hour through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists, as well as two ultra-rare "raven turns" — half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops—your body will also be flipping around 360-degrees over and over again. Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension."
What we don't know
The lawsuit is ongoing, and further details about the ride's safety measures and any previous incidents are yet to be fully disclosed.
Magic Mountain has not commented on the allegations.
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