Updated
Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Aug 27
Six Flags, S&S Settle 2022 X2 Death Lawsuit, Canceling Sept. 8 Trial
Updated
Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Aug 27

Six Flags, S&S Settle 2022 X2 Death Lawsuit, Canceling Sept. 8 Trial

3 articles · Updated · FOX 11 Los Angeles · Aug 27

Summary

  • Court filings show Six Flags Magic Mountain and ride-train supplier S&S Worldwide reached settlements in the wrongful death case over 22-year-old Christopher Hawley’s fatal 2022 X2 roller coaster injury.
  • The agreements were finalized days before a Sept. 8 Los Angeles County Superior Court trial, which will no longer take place; financial terms and other conditions were not disclosed.
  • Hawley collapsed after riding X2 on June 23, 2022 and died the next day; the medical examiner ruled the death an accident caused by blunt head trauma, with a CT scan showing a catastrophic subdural hematoma.
  • The family alleged the ride’s violent motion caused the injury, while S&S had maintained in court papers that the coaster trains operated exactly as designed.
  • X2 remains closed, though Six Flags said that closure has continued since a separate July incident, and Cal/OSHA is still investigating that unrelated event.

Insights

What hidden dangers forced Six Flags to settle, and will the infamous X2 coaster ever reopen after recent tragic brain injuries?
Are extreme thrill rides pushing human physical limits too far, causing these catastrophic and sometimes fatal brain injuries?