Six Flags rollercoaster was so rough man, 22, DIED of brain rupture hours after riding it, family’s lawsuit alleges
The family of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old from Garden Grove, California, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Six Flags Magic Mountain, alleging that the roughness of the park's X2 rollercoaster caused fatal brain injuries. Hawley collapsed shortly after getting off the ride in June 2022 and died in hospital the following day, with the LA County Medical Examiner ruling the cause of death as blunt head trauma. The case is notable both for the severity of the alleged injury from a licensed amusement ride and for a subsequent incident on the same attraction, which raises questions about its safety record.
Hawley's brother Alex, who rode alongside him, described the ride as violently jerking passengers before a sudden stop slammed their heads into the headrests. Their father said a surgeon likened the injury to shaken baby syndrome, describing it as a brain rupture caused by the force of the ride. The lawsuit notes that the same rollercoaster was shut for a month just last month after another rider was found unconscious. A jury trial is scheduled to begin in September, with the family seeking compensatory damages; Six Flags has not yet commented on the litigation.
- Family sues Six Flags after man, 22, dies from brain injury post-rollercoaster ride
- Coroner ruled blunt head trauma; surgeon compared it to shaken baby syndrome
- Same ride shut for a month last month after another rider found unconscious
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Rides at big theme parks are approved by regulators and inspected regularly, so serious injuries from a single ride are rare and unusual enough to draw scrutiny. Six Flags Magic Mountain, in California, runs several intense rollercoasters, including one called X2, which is known for spinning riders and moving them through sharp, jerky motions rather than a smooth track.
The case centres on Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old who rode X2 in June 2022 and collapsed shortly afterwards, dying in hospital the next day. His family have since sued the park, arguing the ride's roughness caused the fatal injury, while Six Flags has yet to respond publicly to the claims. Wrongful death lawsuits like this can take years to reach trial, and this one is set to go before a jury in September.
Beyond one family's loss, the case raises broader questions about how amusement rides are designed, tested and monitored for safety, and what responsibility parks bear when something goes wrong on a ride that has passed official inspections.