Six Flags X2 Coaster Closed After Two Brain Injuries in July

Two women suffered severe brain injuries requiring emergency surgery within six days of each other while riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, prompting a state safety inspection and the ride's closure. The incidents in early July have intensified scrutiny of the attraction, which has a documented history of serious injuries and two deaths over nearly two decades.

Pamela Guillen, 40, of Hawaii, was celebrating her daughter's 16th birthday at the park when she rode X2 on July 5. Ambulance records indicate she repeatedly struck her head against the headrest during the ride. After exiting, she began vomiting and lost consciousness. Hospital scans revealed a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression. Surgeons removed part of her skull to relieve pressure, and she spent two weeks in a coma. Guillen has since been relearning how to walk and talk, reporting ongoing headaches and brain fog.

Six days later, on July 11, 25-year-old Naomi GreerWilkinson of Los Angeles rode X2 with her siblings. She also lost consciousness shortly after the ride and was rushed to the hospital for emergency brain surgery. Her parents said doctors warned them...