Primary Location
Torrance Personal Injury Lawyers
2916 W 164th St Second Floor, Torrance, CA 90504
Phone: (424) 622-0812
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Call us at (855) 855-8910
Hurt on X2 or another ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain? Our lawyers help riders and families protect evidence, understand California law, and meet the deadlines. Free case review. No fees or costs unless we win.
A member of our intake team will reach out shortly. To speak with someone now, call (424) 622-0812.
Last updated October 1, 2026
Were you or someone in your family hurt on X2 or another ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia? Get medical care first. Then write down what happened and keep every record you have. Talk with a lawyer soon, because some deadlines are short. This page covers what to do now, what has been reported about X2, and how California law works for people hurt on roller coasters.
X2 is retiring for good. Six Flags announced the decision on September 29, 2026. The ride has been closed since the evening of July 12, 2026, according to Six Flags. If you were hurt, start with a free case review. No fees or costs unless we win. The Simon Law Group has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for injured clients, and our lawyers represent people across California from our Torrance headquarters.
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
After a roller coaster injury, the first hours and days matter most. Get medical care, tell the park, and keep every record you have. Then talk with a lawyer early. In California, you generally have two years to file an injury lawsuit. Some claims have a much shorter deadline.
Don’t wait for symptoms to settle before you write things down. According to ABC7 and AP, the September lawsuits over X2 claim that riders collapsed after riding.
The park has its own duties after a serious ride accident. Under California law, the company that runs a permanent amusement ride must call the state right away about any known accident that causes a death or serious injury [2]. Injuries that need only ordinary first aid don’t count. And if the ride’s failure, malfunction or operation caused a death or serious injury, the company must keep the ride equipment for the state’s investigation.
Parks also have to keep records of ride accidents that needed more than ordinary first aid. They must show those records to a state inspector who asks for them. The law doesn’t say the public can see them.
Six Flags Magic Mountain is in Valencia, in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County.
Six Flags announced on September 29, 2026 that it will permanently retire X2. The ride has been closed since July 12, 2026. On September 23, ABC7 and AP reported three lawsuits claiming X2 riders suffered traumatic brain injuries. Six Flags has said it does not comment on pending lawsuits. Cal/OSHA, the state agency that oversees ride safety, has not published any finding from its inspection.
Here’s what has been announced and reported, newest first:
Every injury claim in the September lawsuits is an accusation that hasn’t been proven. We’ll update this list when new court filings, rulings or official findings are reported.
Some background on the ride. X2 opened as “X” in 2002 and was rebuilt as X2 in 2008. Arrow Dynamics designed and built the original coaster. S&S Worldwide supplied X2’s trains. The ride reaches up to 76 mph on a track that’s about 3,600 feet long.
In California, a business that carries people for money must use the highest level of care to keep its passengers safe. The law calls this kind of business a “carrier.” A carrier must also give riders vehicles that are safe and fit for their use. The California Supreme Court has said the company that runs a roller coaster can be that kind of carrier [1]. So it can owe riders that same high level of care.
But that doesn’t make the company automatically responsible for every injury. A hurt rider still has to prove the company fell short of what the law requires.
The case is Gomez v. Superior Court, from 2005. It covers roller coasters and similar rides only. The court decided only whether a rider’s case could move forward. It did not decide who was at fault.
Some rides are treated differently. In a 2012 case, Nalwa v. Cedar Fair, the court looked at bumper cars. Bumper car riders steer and speed up on their own. The court held that a rule called “primary assumption of risk” applies to bumper cars. Under that rule, a rider generally can’t recover for the normal risks built into the ride. The park’s only duty is not to unreasonably add to the risks that come with the ride itself.
So where do roller coasters fit? Nalwa backed Gomez on coasters. It agreed that “a rider of a roller coaster has no control over the elements of thrill of the ride.” But Nalwa did not decide how assumption of risk works on a roller coaster. That question is still open. Anyone who tells you Nalwa settled it is overstating the law.
Fault isn’t all or nothing either. If the company failed in its duty, the rider’s own share of fault, if any, lowers the amount they can recover. It doesn’t wipe it out.
Companies that make rides fall under a different rule. A manufacturer can be held responsible when a defect in its product causes an injury. Lawyers call this strict liability. It’s a rule for manufacturers, not for parks. It’s also the basis of defective product claims against a manufacturer. In the Hawley case, S&S Worldwide, which supplied X2’s trains, was sued along with Six Flags Magic Mountain.
A signed waiver doesn’t decide everything. A waiver, also called a release, is a paper that gives up your right to make certain claims. In California, a waiver for a sports or recreational activity generally can’t excuse gross negligence that happens after you sign. But waivers that cover ordinary carelessness are often upheld. And a parent can generally sign one for a child. So read exactly what was signed before you assume either way.
Gross negligence means a lack of even the slightest care, or an extreme departure from how a careful person would act. That’s a high bar. Ordinary carelessness is a lower one, and courts have enforced recreational waivers that cover it.
What about a waiver a parent signed for a child? In California, a parent can generally sign one. But the gross negligence limit still applies to it. In fact, the California Supreme Court case that set the gross negligence rule involved a waiver a parent signed for a child’s camp.
Bring us whatever you signed or agreed to, including a ticket or pass. Our lawyers will read it with you.
In California, you generally have two years to file a lawsuit for an injury or a death caused by someone else. That’s under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 [3]. For an injured child, the two-year clock generally doesn’t start running until the child turns 18. That pause doesn’t apply to claims against a government agency. Either way, start early.
Government claims have stricter rules. They apply to claims against a public entity, meaning a government agency. One example is when a government agency runs the ride or event, as with some fairs:
Losing a family member changes the claims too. When an injured person dies, their estate has a claim of its own, called a survival claim. For cases filed on or after January 1, 2026, that claim generally covers only losses before death. It doesn’t include pain and suffering. It’s separate from a family’s wrongful death claim.
What about money for your injuries? California law says injury damages should make up for all the harm the wrongful conduct caused. The harm has to be closely linked to that conduct. No web page can tell you what your case is worth. That depends on the injury, the proof, and who is responsible.
California has a state safety program for permanent amusement rides. It’s called the Permanent Amusement Ride Safety Inspection Program, and Cal/OSHA’s Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit runs it. It covers rides that carry people along a fixed or limited route. Penalties under the program go to the state, not to a hurt rider.
Here’s what the rules require, and what each one means for you:
| Rule | What the law requires | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting accidents | The company that runs the ride must call the state right away about any known accident that causes a death or serious injury. If the ride’s failure, malfunction or operation caused it, the company must keep the equipment. | The state hears about serious accidents fast, and the equipment is held for the investigation. |
| Accident records | Parks must keep records of ride accidents that needed more than ordinary first aid. They must show them to state inspectors who ask. | Those records exist. The law doesn’t say the public can see them. |
| Fines | Breaking the rules on purpose in a way that causes a death or serious injury brings a state fine of $25,000 to $70,000. | The fine goes to the state. It isn’t money for the victim. |
| Insurance | Ride owners must carry at least $1 million in liability insurance for each accident, or an equal bond or approved self-insurance. | That’s the least coverage they must have. It isn’t a measure of what a case is worth. |
For X2, Cal/OSHA’s inspection of the July 2026 incident has no published finding. Regulators haven’t said whether the ride was safe or unsafe in 2026, and we won’t guess.
The Simon Law Group’s lawyers start by saving evidence early, while the people who saw what happened still remember it. We look at everyone who might be responsible, including the company that runs the ride, the company that made it, and parts suppliers. And we track every deadline from the first call, so a short government claim window doesn’t slip past.
There are no fees or costs unless we win. Tell us what happened and we’ll review your situation for free.
Hurt on a different ride or at another park? Our lawyers also handle amusement park injury claims in Los Angeles on other rides and at other parks.
Sources:
[1] Gomez v. Superior Court (2005) 35 Cal.4th 1125
[2] California Labor Code 7925, permanent amusement ride accident reporting
Yes, according to ABC7 and AP. On September 23, 2026, they reported three lawsuits claiming riders of X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain suffered traumatic brain injuries. Separately, a notice of settlement was filed on August 26, 2026 in the Hawley family’s wrongful death case over X2. Every claim in the September lawsuits is an accusation that hasn’t been proven.
X2 has been closed since the evening of July 12, 2026, according to Six Flags. On September 29, 2026, Six Flags Magic Mountain announced it will permanently retire the ride. It said it takes it seriously when guest confidence is affected. The announcement doesn’t mention the lawsuits.
According to ABC7 and AP, the September lawsuits claim that riding X2 caused traumatic brain injuries. Six Flags has said it does not comment on pending lawsuits. In the earlier Hawley case, Six Flags denied being careless and denied causing Christopher Hawley’s death.
A claim is possible, but you still have to prove it. California’s Supreme Court has said the company that runs a roller coaster can owe riders the highest level of care. That doesn’t make it automatically responsible for every injury. Separately, a ride maker can be held responsible when a defect in its product causes an injury.
The Simon Law Group works on contingency. That means our fee comes out of the money we recover for you, not out of your pocket. There are no fees or costs unless we win, and your case review is free. We’ll explain the exact terms before you sign anything.
Call (424) 622-0812 or fill out our form. No fees or costs unless we win.
Our Location
