LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — A California family is still waiting for answers after they say their 22-year-old son suffered a traumatic and fatal brain injury while riding one of Six Flags Magic Mountain’s most popular rollercoasters.
In a lawsuit filed last year, a Garden Grove family alleged their 22-year-old son suffered the brain injury sustained while riding X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.
Christopher Hawley, a recent graduate of San Diego State University, was with his younger brother, Alex, and their cousin at Six Flags Magic Mountain on June 23, 2022, when the trio climbed aboard X2.
His brother and cousin sat together, directly behind Christopher, who was in a row all by himself, according to the lawsuit.
The disorienting coaster, which is designed with rotating seats that move independently as the ride progresses, features a 215-foot drop, sudden flips and rotations, all while reaching speeds of up to 76 mph.
As Christopher, Alex, and their cousin neared the end of the ride, the coaster “suddenly, abruptly and violently jolted to a halt,” jarring the 22-year-old and the other two boys in their seats, the lawsuit states.
Alex and their cousin noticed Christopher holding onto the rail for stability, walking haltingly down the ramp, and when they came to his aid, he mumbled that his head hurt, his family explained.
That’s when, according to the suit, the 22-year-old knelt down, slumped over to his side and lost consciousness.
Christopher — who was in excellent health, according to his parents, Anne and William Hawley — was rushed to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia where a CT scan showed he suffered a catastrophic right subdural hematoma resulting from the rollercoaster, the lawsuit claims.
The next day, June 24, Christopher died.
“We want to make sure that that ride isn’t going to kill somebody else,” William Hawley said during a video conference call reported on by The Orange County Register. “They won’t explain to us what happened. They’ve essentially gone dark. The only way we’ve been able to contact them is through our attorney.”
Nexstar’s KTLA has reached out to officials at Six Flags Magic Mountain for a response to the lawsuit. The park told other news outlets that it would not comment on the pending litigation.
In their suit, the Hawleys accused Magic Mountain of operating the ride with negligence, a design defect, and a failure to warn customers of the potential danger.
“This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2,” said the family’s attorney, Ari Friedman, a partner and trial attorney at Los Angeles-based Wisner Baum. “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 family’s legal team, according to The Register, anticipates seeking $10 million in compensatory damages pending the results of the ride’s inspection and the strength of evidence found during the investigation.
A trial date has been set for Oct. 13.
A San Bernardino woman filed a lawsuit against the park in 2021 after she claimed a ride on X2 caused her “shock and injury to her nervous systems and persons,” The Signal reported. At the time, the Six Flags park claimed “expert testing” proved the woman’s “claimed traumatic brain injury was not caused by the X2 ride.” A judge later removed Magic Mountain as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Nexstar’s Addy Bink contributed to this report.