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Woman described concerning symptoms she felt minutes after riding Six Flags rollercoaster linked to two deaths
A woman has opened up about the concerning symptoms she felt minutes after riding a Six Flags rollercoaster linked to two deaths.
Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, a 25-year-old woman from Los Angeles, had ridden X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California when she experienced a serious medical emergency.
After exiting the attraction, Naomi collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered bleeding in her brain.
"The jarring had damaged part of her brain, and it had begun to bleed," her father, Joshua Wilkinson, told CNN.
Her condition was so serious that doctors performed emergency surgery and placed her in an induced coma to assist her recovery.
X2, which is currently closed, has developed a reputation for being an especially intense roller coaster.
Six Flags itself describes the attraction as a "rite of passage for the ultimate daredevil".
The ride reaches speeds of 76mph and features a 200ft drop, several half-loops, and seats that rotate 360 degrees as passengers hurtle around the track.
And Naomi is not the only rider to have experienced a serious medical emergency after riding it.
Another woman suffered brain hemorrhage six days earlier
Just six days before Naomi was hospitalized, 40-year-old Pamela Guillen had visited Six Flags Magic Mountain with her daughter for her 16th birthday.
Guillen rode X2 and reportedly hit her head against the headrest repeatedly as the attraction jolted and rotated around the track.
By the time the ride ended, she needed assistance getting off and began vomiting.
An ambulance took her to the same hospital where Naomi would be treated less than a week later.
Doctors found that Guillen had also suffered a brain hemorrhage, and she underwent emergency surgery.
The medical professionals who treated both women later expressed concerns about their injuries in an email shared with CNN.
"In our professional opinion, the severe brain injuries requiring emergent neurosurgical attention were the result of a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced while on the X2 ride," the email read.
What happens on X2?
X2 opened in 2001 and stands out from traditional roller coasters because its seats can rotate 360 degrees independently as the train travels around the track.
A simulation produced by CNN alongside NearMap shows the experience riders encounter during the roughly two-minute ride.
Passengers initially travel backward to a peak of 200ft before encountering "360° rotating seats and head-first, face down drops".
The roller coaster then takes riders through the first of two raven turns, described by Six Flags as "half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops".
A second raven turn sends passengers upward and backward before another sheer drop.
Some riders have claimed the spinning and looping sensations are even more intense when sitting in the outside seats.
Mechanical engineering professor Lyndia Wu, who has researched roller coasters' effects on the brain, told the outlet the risk of traumatic brain injury on a roller coaster is very low.
However, she acknowledged that higher-risk rides such as X2 need additional investigation.
"I personally don’t think head injury should be an expected risk from going on a roller coaster ride, and there is no reason a ride can’t be properly designed to prevent injuries like this," the University of British Columbia professor said.
X2 has previously been linked to serious incidents
The medical emergencies involving Naomi and Guillen came after other serious incidents involving people who had ridden X2.
In 2022, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley rode the roller coaster before experiencing severe symptoms afterward.
When the ride ended, Hawley grabbed a handrail and knelt down, saying that his head hurt before passing out.
He was rushed to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, where a scan showed severe brain trauma. Tragically, he died the next day.
His family subsequently sued Six Flags for failure to warn, negligence, and design defects. The case was settled in 2026, but the terms were not made public.
Ari Friedman, an attorney who represented Hawley’s family, 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."
The roller coaster has remained closed since July 12.
Six Flags has not said why the attraction is currently closed.