A Chatsworth Superior Court judge has scheduled an August 2027 trial in a lawsuit brought by a Yucaipa woman who claims she suffered a traumatic brain injury and other medical complications while riding the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Judge Michael O'Gara set the trial date for August 16, 2027, in the case filed by 56-year-old Sheila Katerelos and her husband, 53-year-old Ari Katerelos, according to court records.
The lawsuit, filed against Magic Mountain LLC, Six Flags Theme Park Inc., S&S Worldwide Inc. and other parties, alleges negligence, strict product liability, negligent product liability and loss of consortium stemming from injuries Katerelos says she suffered while riding X2 on February 16, 2020, as reported by MyNewsLA.com. Her suit contends X2 had a design defect and that the theme park failed to warn visitors of the ride's potential danger. Ari Katerelos alleges he was deprived of the comfort and affection of his wife as a result of her injuries.
S&S Worldwide, the Utah-based company that designed and manufactured the X2 vehicles, was initially dismissed as a party in the case before the Second District Court of Appeal reinstated it as a defendant in February 2026. Appellate justices found triable issues regarding whether S&S established that X2 was not defective as a matter of law, and separately found triable issues over whether the ride caused or contributed to Katerelos's injuries. The California Supreme Court denied S&S's petition seeking review of that ruling in July 2026, according to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal, exhausting the manufacturer's state court appeals shortly before the case was set to go to trial. Magic Mountain and Six Flags itself were dismissed as defendants in May 2024.
Dueling Accounts Over Restraints and Ride Forces
Magic Mountain's attorneys have maintained in court papers that Katerelos was properly restrained in her seat, had no concerns about her restraints or seat before the ride was dispatched, and that X2's signage gave riders sufficient information to decide whether and how to ride. The park's lawyers also point to Katerelos's medical history of hypertension, noting that X2 signage warned that individuals with hypertension should not ride. Park attorneys further contend that X2's head-restraint padding and low acceleration forces made the ride sufficiently cushioned, and that the coaster has no known component-part failures that could potentially cause rider injuries.
Park lawyers have cited data compiled by Robert Cargill regarding X2's forces, which they say showed the ride did not produce sufficient forces to cause a subdural hematoma or traumatic brain injury in Katerelos. Katerelos's side disputes that conclusion, alleging the ride's design itself was defective and that she will continue to incur medical expenses and be unable to work for the foreseeable future as a result of her injuries. Magic Mountain attorneys have separately contended that Ari Katerelos's loss of consortium claim was unsupported by law.
A Coaster With a Documented History of Head Injuries
The Katerelos case is proceeding against a backdrop of mounting scrutiny over X2's safety record. In August 2026, Six Flags Magic Mountain and S&S Worldwide reached confidential settlements with the parents of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old San Diego State University graduate who died after riding X2 in June 2022, just weeks before a Los Angeles jury trial was set to begin, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Hawley, who family attorneys say was in good health before visiting the park, rode X2 with his younger brother and cousin, then reportedly walked haltingly, clutched a railing for support and complained that his head hurt before collapsing. He never regained consciousness and died the following day.
During pre-trial discovery in the Hawley litigation, an expert witness retained by his family disclosed that internal Six Flags records showed at least 70 complaints of head or neck injuries associated with X2 in the three years preceding his death, per CNN. The coaster's troubled history stretches back further still: X2 was previously linked to the 2010 death of 28-year-old rider Hilda Farias, whose pre-existing brain abnormality medical reports attributed to rupturing under the physical strain of the ride, according to Newsner. In 2021, 46-year-old rider Lucy Alvarez was diagnosed with a traumatic subdural hematoma, chronic migraines and balance issues after striking her head against the ride's headrest, CNN reported.
Two Emergency Brain Surgeries Triggered a State Shutdown
X2 remains closed following a pair of alarming incidents this summer. On July 5, 2026, 40-year-old rider Pamela Guillen was riding X2 with her daughter when she struck her head against the headrest several times, later experiencing vomiting and loss of consciousness. She was diagnosed with a severe subdural hematoma and brain compression, and surgeons removed part of her skull during emergency surgery to relieve pressure on her brain.
Days later, 25-year-old Los Angeles resident Naomi Greer-Wilkinson lost consciousness shortly after riding X2 on July 11, 2026, and was rushed to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, according to CNN. She fell into a coma and underwent emergency brain surgery. X2 was closed following her injury, and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health's Amusement Ride and Tramway Unit opened a formal safety inspection after the July 5 medical emergency, prompting Six Flags to shut the attraction down on July 12, 2026, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. State regulations require permanent amusement ride operators to report any serious injury requiring emergency medical treatment beyond first aid to Cal/OSHA within 24 hours, triggering mandatory safety reviews before rides can reopen, per the Times.
An Engineering Legacy Dating Back to a Bankrupt Manufacturer
X2's roots trace to 2002, when it opened as “X,” the world's first “4th Dimension” roller coaster built by Arrow Dynamics. Severe engineering delays and cost overruns pushed Arrow Dynamics into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2001, before S&S Power acquired its assets and later reorganized as S&S Worldwide, according to Wikipedia. Six Flags then invested $10 million between 2007 and 2008 to overhaul the ride into X2, installing lighter third-generation trains built by S&S Worldwide along with onboard audio and pyrotechnic effects, per Wikipedia's history of Arrow Dynamics.
Today's X2 reaches speeds of 76 mph, drops 215 feet at an 88.5-degree angle and subjects riders to 4.0 Gs while its seats rotate 360 degrees independently along a 3,610-foot steel track. Hoodline previously reported on the coaster's closure after the July incidents. With the Cal/OSHA investigation still active and the Katerelos case now bound for an August 2027 trial, the question of whether X2's rotational design and force profile inherently pose a risk of traumatic brain injury remains unresolved in court.
