The rollercoaster that can give you brain damage: Six Flags is forced to close its X2 ride following a string of injuries - including life-altering disabilities, comas and deaths

Six Flags Magic Mountain has been forced to shutter its immensely popular 'X2' rollercoaster, after a report linked the ride to more than a dozen severe injuries.While the ride has been promoted as a '[rite] of passage for the ultimate daredevil', new evidence shows that its twists and turns may be more extreme than the human body can handle.X2 was closed on the evening of July 12, a full day after the latest of two catastrophic brain injury incidents that occurred less than a week apart.However, a report by CNN found that these were only the latest in a decades–long string of incidents leading to life–altering disabilities, comas, and deaths.According to CNN's investigation, Pamela Guillen, 40, of Hawaii lost consciousness shortly after riding X2 during a family holiday.After being rushed to hospital, doctors found brain injuries normally associated with high–speed collisions that left her in a coma for two weeks.Just days later, Naomi Greer–Wilkinson, 25, from Los Angeles, was hospitalised after riding the same rollercoaster and remains, as of CNN's report, in a coma.A park spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'The ride remains closed at this time.' Six Flags Magic Mountain has been forced to shutter its immensely popular 'X2' rollercoaster after a report linked the ride to more than a dozen severe injuriesWhat injuries has the ride caused?According to medical records, depositions, and legal filings, X2 has been linked to more than a dozen serious injuries and hospitalisations since it opened in 2002.For example, in 2014, 17–year–old Salena O'Neil rode X2 with her friends.Immediately after exiting the ride, her head began to ache, her vision blurred, and Salena struggled to walk straight.Her right leg started to shake whenever she put weight on it and stuck out at an unusual angle.After doctors examined the otherwise healthy teenager, they discovered a subdural hematoma, an injury which occurs when blood collects on the surface of the brain.In 2019, hospital physicians detailed her case in a medical journal without naming X2, directly blaming her injuries on acceleration caused by a rollercoaster.The doctors warned: 'Advances of roller–coaster technology and industry competition for thrill–seeking patrons may ultimately improve acceleration and performance beyond the passenger's physical ability to tolerate them.' Medical experts have found that the extreme forces created by the ride are capable of causing brain injuries (pictured) usually associated with high–speed collisions Why is X2 so dangerous? Typically, the forces that people experience on a rollercoaster are well within safe bounds.However, X2's 'four–dimensional' design makes it significantly tougher on riders' bodies.In addition to reaching a top speed of 76 miles per hour (120km/h) and featuring a 215–foot (65m) drop, the seats also rotate independently.During the two 'raven turns', the carriages spin upside down while looping, sending the riders backwards into sheer drops.There are only two other rollercoasters in the world with a similar design, one in China and one in Japan.Those additional twists and turns add extra forces to each turn that can cause extremely rapid acceleration in the brain.As the brain accelerates within the skull, this creates 'very rapid deformations in the brain, which can lead to diffuse axonal injury, tissue tears, and vascular disruptions'. However, court filings made by Salena's family and seen by CNN revealed that at least five riders had visited the hospital after riding X2 prior to her injuries.Those included a 62–year–old man who had sued the park in 2009 after suffering a traumatic brain injury he alleged was caused by the ride.Has anyone died after riding X2?In 2022, recent college graduate Christopher Hawley, 22, rode X2 with his cousin and brother.According to court records filed afterwards, the three relatives were flipped like 'rag dolls', and Christopher hit his head on the seat several times.Shortly before exiting the ride, Christopher complained of being light–headed, and he was taken to nearby Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.Doctors discovered that his brain was bleeding so badly that it was crushing his brain into one side of his skull, causing it to bulge out when surgeons opened his skull to release the pressure.Despite being in excellent health when boarding the ride, Christopher was dead less than 10 hours later. Christopher Hawley (centre) died in June of 2022, the day after visiting the park and riding the X2 roller coaster The LA County Medical Examiner later ruled that Christopher died as a result of blunt head trauma less than 10 hours after riding X2Previously, in 2010, a 28–year–old single mother named Hilda Farias also died after riding X2.Experts suspected that her death was caused by a brain abnormality that ruptured due to the intense forces of the ride.Why is X2 so dangerous?Typically, the forces that people experience on a rollercoaster are well within safe bounds.However, X2's 'four–dimensional' design makes it significantly tougher on riders' bodies.In addition to reaching a top speed of 76 miles per hour (120km/h) and featuring a 215–foot (65m) drop, the seats also rotate independently.During the two 'raven turns', the carriages spin upside down while looping, sending the riders backwards into sheer drops.There are only two other rollercoasters in the world with a similar design, one in China and one in Japan. Scientists have found that the forces created by most rollercoasters are lower than those exerted by football headers, but X2's unique design created a much greater impactThose additional twists and turns add extra forces to each turn that can cause extremely rapid acceleration in the brain.As the brain accelerates within the skull, this creates 'very rapid deformations in the brain, which can lead to diffuse axonal injury, tissue tears, and vascular disruptions'.Are rollercoasters safe to ride?Despite around 300 million people riding rollercoasters each year, the number of people injured is relatively low.However, injuries and even deaths are not unheard of.A 2005 study found that there were 39 deaths associated with rollercoasters in the US between 1994 and 2004, 15 of which were caused by bleeding of the brain or cardiac problems.Similarly, a 2013 study found that 4,423 children in the US went to the emergency room each year between 1990 and 2010 for treatment of injuries 'resulting from amusement park rides'.Common injuries were to the head and neck, usually caused when the child fell off, onto, or against a ride. Studies show that the peak velocity exerted on the brain by a rollercoaster is comparable to sprinting and less than a header, but exceptionally dangerous rides like X2 require further investigation But these injuries tend to be minor, and deaths usually occur as isolated cases, rather than widespread occurrences as has been the case with X2.Overall, hospitalisation rates are low, sitting at just 1.5 per cent annually with 4.5 deaths per year.Likewise, studies suggest that the forces exerted by a typical rollercoaster are generally not sufficient to cause brain trauma.According to one 2017 study, rollercoasters lead to brain strains smaller than mild football headers and comparable to the forces exerted while running.Co–author Professor Lyndia Wu, of the University of British Columbia, told CNN: '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.'However, the researchers note that some higher–risk rides, such as X2, need to be investigated further.