The family of Christopher Hawley is still going through a mix of emotions, but there is now a sense of closure with Tuesday’s news that Six Flags Magic Mountain is permanently shutting down the X2 roller coaster.
It was four long years ago that Anne Hawley lost her son, a 22-year-old college graduate from San Diego State University, on what was supposed to be a fun day for him with his younger brother, Alex, and their cousin at the amusement park. The trio went on X2, considered one of the park’s most popular rides.
Opening 18 years ago, it was touted as the world’s first fourth-dimensional roller coaster, and quickly grew popular for its 360-degree rotating seats, intense head-first drops and reaching 76 mph. Over the years, however, there were an increasing number of reported injuries caused by the ride, which had been temporarily closed since mid-July after two separate female riders suffered severe brain hemorrhages (subdural hematomas) within days of each other and had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency brain surgery.
Alex described X2 as exceptionally rough, and said in previous media interviews that it jerked them aggressively and ended with a violent jolt, jarring the three young men in their seats.
After exiting the ride, Alex said that his brother walked “haltingly” down the ramp, using a handrail for support. His face was red, and he mumbled that his head hurt. Christopher then slumped to the ground and fell into unconsciousness.
He was taken by paramedics to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, where he underwent brain surgery. He passed away the following day.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner ruled his death an accident caused by blunt head trauma sustained in a park ride accident. A CT scan showed he suffered a catastrophic right subdural hematoma.
The Hawley family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Six Flags, which was settled on Aug. 26.
Since that time, Anne has been constantly checking the news to see whether the park would permanently close the ride. So when she got a message from an acquaintance Tuesday morning saying they were glad to hear that X2 was shutting down, Hawley couldn’t quite believe it.
It was only after seeing the statement from Six Flags that it finally sank in.
“My first thought was, ‘Wow, it finally happened,’” Anne told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol, “because it’s been a long, long, torturous four years waiting for this to happen. It was very emotional, too. I pretty much cried when I read it because [closing] it has meant that much to our family —[since] they killed Christopher.”
Although Anne is relieved knowing that X2 won’t be able to hurt future patrons of Six Flags, she wonders if Christopher’s fate could’ve been avoided if the amusement park had shut down the ride when injuries were first reported.
She also expressed resentment towards Six Flags for not only dragging out the lawsuit, but for continuing to operate X2 after her son’s death. In July, there were two reported injuries on X2 within the span of a week that caused the park to close the ride for two months before Tuesday’s announcement.
“[I feel] disgust with those involved with Six Flags and Magic Mountain who have never offered condolences, kindness, empathy or compassion,” Anne said. “Not a word, as if Christopher didn’t matter, and he matters. He’s our son, a brother, cousin, nephew and a friend, and there are lots of lives that have been deeply affected by who they’ve taken away from us.
“Christopher would have done great things in this world, and so … shame on them for not recognizing what our family is going through.”
In a statement released by Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding on Sept. 29, he merely provided standard information about the ride, saying, “Since X2 opened in 2008, it has welcomed more than 16 million guests and earned a passionate following among ride enthusiasts. We recognize the special place X2 holds in the coaster community, and we are grateful to our team members who operated and maintained it throughout its run.
“While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do. Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously.”
Timothy Loranger, a senior partner with Wisner Baum LLP, a Los Angeles-based law firm, who was representing the family, pointed out that Six Flags didn’t acknowledge any of the injuries caused by X2 in their statement.
“Instead, they say the reason that they’re closing it is because of guest satisfaction,” Loranger said. “So it’s more of a public relations move than it is a safety move.”
While the trauma of losing her eldest son is still there, Anne hopes they’ll now be able to move forward.
“I want to start remembering Christopher for who he was, the human being that he was to us and the beauty of his life,” Anne said. “I want to start focusing more on who Christopher was and how he lived, rather than how he died.”