One of the most famous thrill rides in the world has been shut down after two riders ended up needing emergency brain surgery within the span of a week. And it wasn’t a crash, a fall, or any kind of structural failure that sent them to the hospital. It was the ride itself.
What happened in July
In early July, surgeons at a Southern California hospital treated two women for nearly identical brain hemorrhages, the kind of injury normally seen after high-speed car collisions. Pamela Guillen, 40, lost consciousness right after stepping off the ride on July 12, according to ambulance records, and was rushed into surgery for a severe subdural hematoma. Six days later, 25-year-old Naomi Greer-Wilkinson boarded X2 and suffered the same fate; she remains in a coma on a ventilator and feeding tube, her family told CNN.
Three neurosurgeons who treated the women told CNN the injuries were “the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride.” Six Flags closed the coaster the evening of July 12 and the ride remains shut down, with California’s ride-safety regulator saying its inspection is ongoing.
Two decades of injuries
X2 is not a normal roller coaster. Its signature feature is a “4th-dimensional” design in which riders’ seats rotate a full 360 degrees around the track while the train hits speeds of nearly 80 miles per hour for roughly two minutes. Only two similar coasters exist elsewhere in the world, one in China and one in Japan that closed last year after a fatal accident.
A CNN review of medical records linked X2 to more than a dozen serious injuries and hospitalizations over nearly two decades, including:
- 2014: 17-year-old Selena O’Neill developed a seizure-triggering subdural hematoma after riding, which doctors directly attributed to the coaster
- 2020: Sheila Katerelos, 50, was hospitalized for five days with a traumatic brain injury and multiple subdural hematomas
- 2021: Lucy Alvarez, 46, was diagnosed with a traumatic subdural hematoma, derailing her nursing studies
- 2010 and 2022: Two riders died after riding X2, including 22-year-old Christopher Hawley, whose medical examiner ruled blunt head trauma from “a park ride accident”
According to an expert who reviewed Six Flags’ internal records, the park had fielded at least 70 complaints of head and neck injuries from X2 riders in the three years before Hawley’s death in 2022.
What the park says
Six Flags has declined to answer detailed questions from CNN beyond confirming the ride “remains closed at this time.” In court filings, attorneys for the theme park argue that posted signage warns riders of “inherent risks,” that X2 is regularly tested, and that the physical forces experienced are not strong enough to cause a traumatic brain injury in a “normal” rider using the ride as instructed.
Is this a worry for local thrill seekers?
The broader takeaway is not that roller coasters are dangerous. Research finds coaster brain injuries are low risk overall, including work by mechanical engineering professor Lyndia Wu. The concern here is specific: one aging ride with a documented, repeated pattern of head injuries. For Pinoys who plan trips around theme parks, the lesson is simple. If you feel your head snapping against a headrest, if you get dizzy or nauseated after a ride, or if a headache lingers, treat it seriously and get it checked rather than brushing it off.
Theme parks are a big part of local leisure, from game parks and skating rinks at local malls to overseas Disney adventures like Anne Curtis’ 97 km/h coaster ride at Shanghai Disneyland. Knowing your limits and listening to your body is the safest way to enjoy the rush.
