I have been exploring this same idea. I also believe it is important to look into the forces experienced by getting hit in the back of the head by the rotating ride vehicle. There is a reason punching to the back of the head is not allowed in boxing and MMA. I can imagine that if someone were to pass out/gray out on the ride and temporarily lose control of there head and neck stability that they could experience head trauma on this coaster. They NEED to figure this out and make it reproducible during testing so that the ASTM standards can be updated which will save lives.

This is a conversation that really needs to be had. Anyone who's hurt by a ride is a victim, and it could've happened to any one of us (or our friends and loved ones). This is a perfect example of what happens when we assume the existing regulations are good enough, instead of actively promoting new ways to ensure safety. The fact theme parks are already so safe, despite a handful of high-profile incidents every few years, is something we should take pride in, but we should take a leaf out of aviation's book and treat every accident as an opportunity to learn and improve. And as theme park enthusiasts, we are the ones who have the power to hold the industry to account, so thank you for making this video.


I say all of this as someone who already booked a flight to LA from Europe this year, specifically to experience X2, only to miss the chance to ride it forever. But any coaster that injures otherwise healthy people, however rarely, is one that is simply not safe to operate.

I'm a mechanical engineer and ridden X2 about 20 times and you're exactly right. I've known since 2022 when X2 passed all safety tests there was no way X2 underwent mobile neck, weighted head dummy tests measuring force and shock to the head or wouldn't have passed. If you weren't prepared and able to ride X2 in ways that protected your head it would whack the back of your head every time, and the degree of impact could vary.

My sister went to college in LA from like 2003-2008, and when I visited her in 2008 she took me to Magic Mountain. She wouldnt let us ride X2 since it was known for giving concussions.

This is definitely one angle I find as equally plausible as ElToroRyan's theory in his video, where he put forward that the rack and pinion system for X2's seat rotation was experiencing more wear and tear than normal.  Personally, I think that X2's problems were a combination between the unforseen G-forces you explained, ElToroRyan's theory on the car's rack and pinion wearing out, and just general track wear and tear that would make X2 rougher over time.  It quite possible that these could've been addressed and fixed, but given the media storm and the potenial costs of such a renovation, closing the ride makes sense.  A shame too, as it was the one if the few Magic Mountain credits I missed out on (the others being Déjà Vu, Flashback, and Terminator Salvation).

Thank you for covering this. I've been thinking along the same lines

I can't say what it was tested with, but I think the biggest problem Six Flags had with X2 is that it's problem as you also highlighted was definitely intermittent. I can't say what exactly caused the injuries, and I think if anyone could, Six Flags would have fixed it immediately and would have kept a ride that was so unbelievably expensive to install, as it really was their most special attraction.

I rode it in February and thought it was janky like I think of a lot of Arrows, but didn't find it rough. I asked my son, and he didn't think it was rough either. We haven't rode it multiple times. I have since heard how you're supposed to ride it and I apparently did none of it. We weren't in the back but we were close. We also don't know the back was where the injuries happened.

With all that said, even if they used these dummies, they might have had to test the ride for days or weeks before a dsngerous reading occurred. There are lots of people claiming things now, but other than the hospilizations, it's basically impossible to know what's real and what's chasing clout / payouts.

No matter what, it sucks. For anyone calling it greedy to keep it open, doing so means they are losing what I think was the most expensive ride they ever built (Kingda Ka was about half the cost to construct... Not including the X2 conversion!), are going to be paying out lawsuits and got all the bad publicity. Yikes.

I wish the park would've heeded  the warning of 2022 and put the ride in for a substantial overhaul. Yes, creating X3 would've been expensive, but so is settling lawsuits.

The ultimate irony of this is the ASTM standards of today are actually LESS restrictive on G Forces than when X was built... that's because of better understanding of the physiology of G forces...

Ultimately what needed to happen was X2 be retracked about five years ago to meet the updated standards of the S&S 4D.  Almost a decade of the heavier trains was a unique problem for X/X2, as was the train count.

I think this is a perfect take. Like as enthusiasts we know rollercoasters were designed to run safe and all that, but it is not as simple as "oh they weren't riding properly" because something like what happened should never happened. I think X2 is exposing a vulnerability in testing standards for older rollercoasters and I hope to see changes in the future

last time i went on i almost got a concussion (goated ride though)

Thank you for looking into this because I've had this thought in the back of my head for a while. I hope whatever caused this is identified and rectified in future specifications

also, roughnes is a frequency thing too. if the frequency is right the force is amplified and iirc the standards don't really considder that

The video we’ve all been waiting for

Vinyl record mentioned! I love both coasters and records!

I totally agree with you.  This is a great observation man.  They very likely never used those dummies with accelerometers in the necks or heads.  Had they done that, they would have seen massive back and forth acceleration from the head through the final raven turn.  Now, there is no way that SFMM didn't understand that X2 got rougher when it moved from X to X2.  They shouldn't have accepted the jankiness.  They should have cared enough to make it rotate smoothly without play.  The fact that they didn't probably comes down to a cost cutting measure.  They preferred to have lighter trains and rack and pinion mechanisms that have play so they don't wear down prematurely, and thus didn't present a maintenance nightmare, at the detriment of rider safety.

I'm sad it's gone, but I'm glad no one else will be injured.  I sincerely hope that they replace it with another ride that lives up to what X2 was.  They need to get back their signature ride.  I personally hope they bring back the 4D coaster, get another manufacturer they have a good relationship with to do it, such as B&M.

This is consistent with rider reports that head-banging was worse on the outside seats. And differences in specific rider dimensions could be a factor in who got hurt. But I also keep going back to my high-school physics: if you take the integral of position, you get speed. take the integral of speed, you get acceleration. Take the integral of acceleration, and you get jerk. (You can take more integrals, but they don't have names after that.) Nobody measures for "jerk." X2 has a lot of jerk.

I find it hard to believe that they would not mount the g-force testing device to the seat when testing this ride. Can you prove that they just mounted it to the train and not the seat?

Is there any way I can contact you outside of YT comments. I love the video, and have been a "thoosie" since 2018. Rode X2 3 days before it closed, and hurt myself to the point where I am still experiencing symptoms today. I have some thoughts regarding it and an slightly different take on your theory.

The injuries were not undetectable. They were hidden by Six Flags for years.