Six Flags Magic Mountain Settles X2 Wrongful Death Lawsuit Before Trial

Six Flags Magic Mountain has settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old man who died after riding the park’s X2 roller coaster in 2022, ending the case shortly before a Los Angeles County jury trial was set to begin.

Hawley, a recent San Diego State University graduate, died June 24, 2022, one day after riding X2 with his younger brother and a cousin. His parents, Anne and William Hawley, later sued Magic Mountain LLC and S&S Worldwide Inc., which supplied replacement trains for the coaster. Both companies reached confidential settlements with the family in August, according to court filings.

The family alleged that X2 was extremely rough and violently moved riders during the June 23 ride. After leaving the coaster, Hawley allegedly had difficulty walking, held onto a railing, and complained of head pain before collapsing.

He never regained consciousness. A CT scan showed a severe subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding between the brain and its outer covering, according to the lawsuit. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner attributed his death to blunt head trauma sustained in an amusement park ride accident.

The Hawleys filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in August 2023, bringing product liability claims based on an alleged design defect and failure to warn, along with negligence and premises liability.

Their lawsuit claimed X2’s design exposed riders to forces capable of causing serious head and brain injuries and that riders were not adequately warned about those risks. The family also alleged that Six Flags and others associated with the attraction knew of previous reports of serious injuries involving X2 but failed to take sufficient steps to address the alleged danger.

Under California product liability law, a claim may be based on an allegedly unsafe design or inadequate warnings about risks connected to foreseeable use. Strict liability generally focuses on whether a product was defective and whether that defect caused the injury, rather than whether a company failed to exercise reasonable care. Those theories can place responsibility on companies involved in designing or supplying a product separately from claims involving how it was operated or maintained.

S&S disputed responsibility for Hawley’s death, arguing in court filings that its replacement trains operated as designed and that testing showed the acceleration forces produced by X2 were not dangerous. The company also maintained that Magic Mountain was responsible for maintaining the coaster and that S&S had no role in its upkeep. In seeking approval of its confidential settlement, S&S continued to deny liability and argued that a jury could have found it bore no responsibility.

California law also places a heightened safety duty on operators of some amusement rides. The California Supreme Court has held that roller coaster operators can qualify as common carriers, a legal classification requiring them to use the “utmost care and diligence” for passenger safety. That standard is higher than the reasonable care generally required in an ordinary negligence case, and the court has held that it can apply even when passengers are riding for entertainment rather than transportation.

The lawsuit had survived an early challenge before the settlements were reached. In March 2024, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Andrew E. Cooper rejected an effort by four Six Flags employees named in the case to have the claims against them dismissed, finding that the complaint contained enough allegations for the claims to continue at that stage. The ruling did not determine that X2 was defective, that any warning was inadequate, or that Six Flags or S&S caused Hawley’s death.

X2 has separately remained closed since July while California safety officials investigate other reported injuries involving the attraction. That investigation is unrelated to Hawley’s death and the lawsuit brought by his family.

The Hawleys reached a settlement with S&S followed by a separate agreement with Magic Mountain. Attorneys for the family notified Cooper that the Magic Mountain agreement was being put into writing, eliminating a jury trial scheduled to begin Sept. 8.

The financial terms have not been publicly disclosed, and S&S had asked the court to consider approval of its settlement at an Oct. 22 hearing.