Garden Grove family alleges Six Flags rollercoaster caused son's death
LOS ANGELES - A Garden Grove couple has filed a lawsuit against Six Flags Magic Mountain, alleging their son died from a fatal injury sustained while riding a roller coaster at the Valencia theme park.
What we know
Anne and William Hawley have filed a lawsuit against Magic Mountain, claiming the X2 roller coaster caused the fatal brain injury of their son, Christopher, a 22-year-old recent graduate of San Diego State University.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred on June 23, 2022 when Christopher was riding the roller coaster with his brother and cousin. The ride abruptly stopped, causing Christopher to experience severe head pain and eventually lose consciousness.
The lawsuit alleges negligence, design defects, and failure to warn customers of potential dangers associated with the ride.
What they're saying
Ari Friedman, the family's attorney, stated, "This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2. X2 has been linked to previous incidents, where people received whiplash, head and leg injuries, and more, from the ride's sudden shuddering and jolts."
The backstory
The X2 roller coaster features rotating seats, a 215-foot drop, and speeds up to 76 mph, the lawsuit claims. The ride is known for its sudden flips and rotations.
The Hawleys' lawsuit highlights previous incidents linked to X2, including whiplash and other injuries.
Here's how X2 is described on the Magic Mountain website:
"Go ahead and take in the view on the long ride up, 200 feet in the air. Enjoy the ride of your life on this one-of-a-kind coaster with a groundbreaking use of fire, carefully designed to heighten your total sensory overload. X2's utterly innovative design will keep your mind in full thrust the entire time.
Your 360-degree seats extend on wings far off the track. So while you are careening down the rails at 76 miles per hour through an unreal assortment of dives, flips and twists, as well as two ultra-rare "raven turns" — half loops that change their minds midway and become sheer drops—your body will also be flipping around 360-degrees over and over again. Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension."
What we don't know
The lawsuit is ongoing, and further details about the ride's safety measures and any previous incidents are yet to be fully disclosed.
Magic Mountain has not commented on the allegations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Taylor County road becomes latest casualty of mine activity in Thornton area
GRAFTON, (WBOY) — The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) cites mine activity as the cause for a recent road closure in Taylor County after a road slip left a large hole in Glade Run Road/CR 52, rendering it unusable by vehicles 'until further notice.' The map above shows the area of Glade Run where the road slip occurred. The closure was announced on Friday, May 30, in a press release from the WVDOH: 'There will be a road closure on County Route 52, Glade Run Road, starting at milepost 3.23, beginning today, Friday, May 30, 2025, until further notice, for a slip that resulted in unsafe road surface for travel due to mining operations,' the release said. 'The alternate routes are as follows: County Route 09, Knottsville Road, County Route 52/3, Hovatter Road, to County Route 54/2, Thomas Farm Road, to County Route 54, Eby Road, to US 50, George Washington Highway. It is advised that the heavier traffic utilize County Route 09, Knottsville Road via traveling into town.' At the site, a reporter on scene observed a steady stream of water flowing through the slipped area. The closure of Glade Run comes just three weeks after drivers raised concerns over a section of Route 50 in Taylor County between Thornton Hill and Eby Road also due to mine subsidence. On May 14, 12 News reported that 'Rough Road Ahead' signs were posted in the area where Route 50 had partially collapsed. Sections of the road were blocked off with cones while flaggers directed traffic. An engineer from the WVDOH District 4 confirmed that a section of Route 50 was experiencing 'minor subsidence from recent mining operations.' But outside of damage to public roads, private property owners are also seeing damage to their land and buildings. On April 14, John Christopher, a Pennsylvania resident who used to hunt frequently in Taylor County, said that large fissures had opened up across his property and caused some structural damage to the house he built there. The damage to the house has been mitigated with temporary measures, but Christopher said the subsidence in the area is only worsening over time, even after ongoing remediation efforts by CORE Natural Resources. Since CORE began operations in the last year, Christopher said many of his neighbors have had to leave their homes due to the risk of land slips or methane buildup, which can be deadly indoors. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Before Brian Ketchum died in his 80s, he spent $45K chatting with ‘liars and thieves' online, his children say
Whether it's the loss of a spouse or a fresh start after divorce, the need for companionship doesn't fade with age — if anything, it deepens, especially as social isolation sets in. It can make emotionally vulnerable people financially vulnerable, too. That's what happened to 82-year-old Brian Ketcham, as his son Christopher relates in The Cut. Christopher's story about his father serves both as a heartbreaking family exposé and cautionary tale about older adults' vulnerability to online romance scams. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Brian Ketcham was in his 80s — a retired transportation engineer and urban planner once hailed by The New York Times as an 'influential environmentalist' — when he began spending his days chatting online on the Dream Singles website. His first connection was with 'Vasilisa,' a smoky-eyed Russian blonde. As he wrote: 'You are perfect. Only I am 82. In good health (you do know the 80's is the new 60's). As you report in your introduction if I got to know you for 5 minutes we would be in love. I already am.' Brian Ketcham's fantasy partners never materialized. What was real was the amount Dream Singles charged him for every online chat. Christopher and his sister Eve estimate that over the course of three years, their father spent at least $45,000 on the site. 'Only his death stopped the hemorrhaging of cash,' Christopher wrote. Romance scams aren't new, but the tools used to execute them have evolved into something far more sophisticated — and dangerous. Artificial intelligence can generate lifelike photos, clone voices and write convincing love letters, often tricking elderly victims. When Christopher and his sister suggested that the women on Dream Singles were all an illusion and the site was just a way to separate him from his money, Brian Ketcham wrote to 'Vasilisa' to confront her with his children's doubts. In response, he received this grammatically awkward but convincing response from his Russian dream girl: 'I'm here not that prove you something, if you don't trust me we can forget about each other.' Read more: This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Afraid of losing the fantasy woman he believed cared for him, he doubled down and sent her his Brooklyn address and phone number in the hope she'd connect in person. In the wrong hands, these two deeply personal details could open the door to far more than heartbreak. He continued to spend money on the site, as Christopher relates: 'Our father, we agreed, seemed intent on handing his money to liars and thieves," Of course, Brian is only one among thousands of Americans who fall prey to such manipulation every year. Last year alone, Americans 60 and over lost at least $389 million to romance scams, according to the FBI's 2024 Elder Fraud Report. In 1963, AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus warned Congress that fraudsters were preying on older Americans — selling fake arthritis cures, posing as government agents and draining savings through real estate scams that never existed. 'Nothing could be more invidious,' she said, 'than the pressures that plague older persons and place their health in jeopardy and further deplete their reduced incomes.' More than 60 years later, the tactics have changed — but the targets haven't. One in four Americans over 65 are socially isolated, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, That means they are at high risk of financial exploitation. The natural process of aging means older adults are also vulnerable to scams due to cognitive decline — and it's not necessarily Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment. After she discovered her father was spending money on the Dream Singles site, Brian Ketcham's daughter Eve convinced him to visit a neuropsychologist to test his cognitive abilities. He went to prove her wrong. Unfortunately, the neuropsychologist determined that his working memory and executive function were compromised and his reasoning 'greatly diminished.' If you're worried someone close to you might be falling for a scam, there are a few subtle ways you can step in. First, keep the conversation flowing. Take an interest if they mention a new online friend or romantic interest. Ask questions like, 'How did you two meet?' or 'What kind of work do they do?' If they haven't met in person yet — especially after weeks or months of chatting — that's a major red flag. You can also ask for the person's name and photo, then do a quick reverse image search or background check to see if anything out of the ordinary pops up. Most importantly, talk to your loved ones about these scams before they happen. Let them know this kind of thing is real — and getting more common. Advise them to be cautious of anyone who asks for personal details like their address, banking info, or even their childhood pet's name (yes, scammers love security questions). At the end of the day, remind them that genuine relationships take time — and real partners never, ever ask for your credit card number. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Yahoo
Anne thanks medical staff who treated those injured in Liverpool victory parade
Medical staff who treated those injured when a car drove into crowds at the Liverpool victory parade have told the Princess Royal they were 'very, very fortunate' there were not more major injuries. Anne visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on Tuesday where she met nurses, consultants and paramedics, as well as representatives from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and the football club, after 47 people were injured on Water Street on Monday. Divisional medical director for surgery at Aintree University Hospital Marc Lucky told the princess they had put out an alert for staff to come in. He said: 'It's a very good example of the resilience and people volunteering. We had too many people, which is a very interesting complaint to have.' He told the royal the injuries were not 'major traumas'. He said: 'We were very, very fortunate yesterday, I must say.' Consultant Jay Rathore said: 'Most of the injuries were limb injuries. No life-threatening, we were able to manage them.' Specialist paramedic Susan McCormick told Anne she was one of the first responders on scene as she and a colleague were treating a man for something unrelated when the incident happened. Advanced paramedic Gary Fitzpatrick told Anne: 'We actually had a plan before the event so we were quite prepared for the situation.' Nurses told Anne that planning they had done for major incidents kicked in on the day and processes worked. Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson thanked Anne for her visit. He said: 'We really appreciate you still coming, because it will mean a lot to the people of the city.' The princess was already due to be in Liverpool on Tuesday to visit Cunard ship the Queen Anne, which arrived on Monday as part of the shipping line's 185th anniversary celebrations. A photo exhibition which had been due to be held to celebrate the anniversary was cancelled following the incident at the parade.
