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Left: Christopher Hawley (provided by the Hawley family). Right: A roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain (Magic Mountain/YouTube).
The family of a 22-year-old California man who died after riding an extreme roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain is suing the company for wrongful death.
Christopher Hawley, 22, went to Six Flags Magic Mountain on June 23, 2022, with his cousin and his brother and boarded one of the park’s most storied thrill rides — the X2 roller coaster. According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 18, Hawley sat in a row by himself in front of his brother and cousin. As the ride concluded, the tram carrying the boys and the other passengers “suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt.” Hawley reportedly said that his head hurt before he “slumped” to the ground and lost consciousness.
According to the lawsuit, both of the boys who accompanied Hawley on the ride reportedly witnessed him “walking haltingly down the off-ramp, holding onto the handrail for support.” After he lost consciousness while still at the park, paramedics rushed to his aid. After being assessed in a medical tent on the property, Hawley was transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
The lawsuit said that a CT scan of Hawley’s head revealed “a catastrophic right subdural hematoma,” allegedly because of the “extremely rough” ride that “jerked its riders around like rag dolls.” As he was being treated, the lawsuit said Hawley’s prognosis was “poor,” and “he continued to progress towards brain death.” Hawley, who had just recently graduated from college, succumbed to his injuries the next day.
The coroner’s report described the injury as “shearing injury” to the brain and said Hawley died as a result of “head trauma” from a “park ride accident.”
According to the lawsuit, the X2 roller coaster was advertised by Magic Mountain celebrating its extreme nature, using phrases in their marketing like “a trailblazing, fifth-dimension roller coaster” with an “utterly innovative design” that “will keep your mind in full thrust the entire time.” The ride also features “head-first, face down drops” from which “you will be spun into another dimension.” This sensation comes as a result of seats that rotate 360 degrees vertically throughout the course of the ride, technically making it a “fourth dimension” roller coaster.
The X2’s predecessor, called X, was the first fourth dimension roller coaster in the world — and it also suffered from numerous delays and shutdowns due to its functionality. After its redesign and debut as the X2, there were still reported injuries by passengers, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also claimed that the ride was “regularly and continuously criticized by X2 passengers, Six Flags Magic Mountain patrons, and Six Flags Magic Mountain employees alike for being dangerous and causing bodily harm to its passengers.”
The lawsuit noted that all three boys, including Hawley, were all properly secured in their seats but that the park did not provide enough warning that the ride could cause “serious, catastrophic, or fatal head or brain injuries.”
Hawley’s parents are suing Magic Mountain for wrongful death. In a press release from their attorney, Ari Friedman of the Wisner Baum law firm said, “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.”
Law&Crime reached out to Magic Mountain for a comment but did not receive an immediate response. KTTV, a local Fox affiliate, reported that the company had not made any public comments about the lawsuit.
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