Parents Demand Answers After Six Flags X2 Ride Leaves 25-Year-Old Daughter in Coma

Naomi Greer-Wilkinson has been in a coma for more than a month since riding X2.Courtesy of Joshua Wilkinson

A California family is demanding answers from Six Flags after their 25-year-old daughter suffered a catastrophic brain injury following a ride on X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain — an attraction whose history has now come under renewed scrutiny because of previous serious injuries and deaths.

Naomi Greer-Wilkinson visited the Valencia amusement park in July with her twin brother and younger sister. Shortly after riding X2, she lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital, where she underwent emergency brain surgery.

More than a month later, Naomi remained in critical condition and in a coma, supported by a ventilator and feeding tube, according to her parents.

Her mother, Artemis Greer, said the family cannot understand why Naomi was ever able to board the attraction given what they later learned about its history.

“Naomi should have never ever in a million years even had the option to get on that ride,” Greer told CNN.

Naomi’s father, Joshua Wilkinson, was equally critical, saying whoever made the decision to keep X2 operating had “a lot to answer for.”

A family outing ends in emergency surgery

The X2 roller coaster is famous for its rotating seats and high speeds.Six Flags Magic Mountain

X2 is one of Magic Mountain’s most distinctive thrill rides. Its seats rotate independently through 360 degrees as riders travel along the track, including a roughly 200-foot plunge, at speeds reaching about 76 mph.

Naomi boarded the coaster on July 11.

Her parents said she had been healthy before the visit. After completing the ride, however, she collapsed and was taken to the hospital.

Joshua Wilkinson said the family was told that the severe jolting had damaged part of his daughter’s brain and caused bleeding. Doctors performed emergency surgery.

The prognosis initially appeared devastating.

Greer recalled doctors preparing the family for the possibility that Naomi might not survive. But while her parents were beside her, Naomi responded by fluttering an eyelid when they spoke her name.

For the family, it was a small but meaningful indication that she was still responding.

Her future, however, remains uncertain.

Greer said doctors could not tell the family whether recovery might take months or years.

“This is the hardest thing a human being could go through,” she said.

Another woman suffered a similar injury six days earlier

The X2 roller coaster is famous for its rotating seats and high speeds.Six Flags Magic Mountain

Naomi’s case became even more troubling when details emerged about another rider who had been hospitalized less than a week earlier.

On July 5, Hawaii resident Pamela Guillen, 40, visited Magic Mountain with her family while celebrating her daughter Camille’s 16th birthday.

Guillen rode X2 and later became sick and lost consciousness.

She was rushed to a hospital, where doctors discovered an acute subdural hematoma with brain compression. Surgeons performed an emergency operation to relieve pressure on her brain.

Guillen did not fully regain consciousness for nearly two weeks and has continued dealing with effects of the injury.

Yet X2 continued operating after her hospitalization.

Six days later, Naomi boarded the same attraction.

Doctors who treated the two women concluded that their severe brain injuries resulted from a traumatic rapid acceleration-deceleration event experienced on X2, according to records reviewed by CNN.

The two incidents have intensified questions about why the coaster remained open after Guillen’s hospitalization.

X2’s history comes under scrutiny

Pamela Guillen from Hawaii took weeks to regain full consciousness after suffering a life-threatening traumatic brain injury.Courtesy Pamela Guillen

The July incidents were not the first serious cases associated with X2.

A CNN investigation examining court filings, medical information and other records identified more than a dozen riders who suffered serious injuries or required hospitalization over nearly two decades.

Among the most significant previous cases was Christopher Hawley.

Hawley, a 22-year-old recent San Diego State University graduate, rode X2 with his younger brother and cousin on June 23, 2022.

After leaving the ride, he appeared disoriented, complained of head pain and collapsed.

He was transported to a hospital and underwent treatment for severe head trauma but died the following day.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner determined that Hawley died from blunt head trauma sustained in what was classified as a park ride accident.

His family subsequently pursued a wrongful-death lawsuit involving Six Flags and ride-train supplier S&S Worldwide. A settlement was reached in August 2026, although its terms were not publicly disclosed.

Another rider, Hilda Farias, died following a ride on X2 in 2010, according to reporting based on the attraction’s history and related records.

Questions over earlier complaints

The broader investigation also uncovered records of previous complaints involving head and neck injuries.

According to reporting based on court records, an expert retained by Hawley’s family said internal Six Flags records documented at least 70 head or neck injury complaints involving X2 during the three years preceding Hawley’s death.

Those allegations have become particularly significant following the two severe brain injuries recorded just six days apart in July.

Six Flags has previously argued in court filings that X2 underwent daily inspections and that a typical rider following the attraction’s instructions would not suffer a traumatic brain injury.

The company did not provide detailed answers to CNN’s questions concerning the individual cases.

X2 remains closed

X2 stopped operating shortly after Naomi’s injury and has remained closed since July 12.

The closure has provided little comfort to Naomi’s parents.

Their daughter remains hospitalized, and they are now questioning why the attraction was still accepting riders after years of reported incidents — and particularly after Guillen required emergency brain surgery only six days before Naomi boarded it.

For Artemis Greer, the experience has transformed what should have been an ordinary family trip into an indefinite hospital vigil.

Naomi’s long-term prognosis remains uncertain, while the history surrounding X2 has placed new attention on the decisions that allowed one of Magic Mountain’s most recognizable attractions to continue operating for years despite repeated allegations of serious injuries.