Latest news with #ChristopherHawley
Miami Herald
21-03-2025
- Miami Herald
Their son died after a Magic Mountain roller-coaster ride. Now they're suing
A popular ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain caused a severe head injury that killed a 22-year-old, according to a lawsuit filed by a Garden Grove, California, family. The fatality occurred June 23, 2022, after Christopher Hawley rode the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. He was in a row by himself with his cousin and younger brother in the row behind him, the lawsuit says. "The entirety of the X2 ride was extremely rough and jerked its riders around like rag dolls," according to the complaint. At the end of the trip, "the ride suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt, jarring Decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats." "Me and my cousin Kyle and Chris - we had no idea that this was gonna happen," Hawley's brother Alex, now 21, told The Times on Tuesday. Six Flags Magic Mountain denied the claims in the lawsuit, which was updated from an earlier complaint filed in 2023. Immediately after getting off the ride, Hawley stumbled on the offramp, complained of head pain, collapsed and became unconscious. Hawley was in good health on the day of the trip, the lawsuit stated. Doctors found Hawley had severe brain bleeding and a poor prognosis. He died the next day from what the coroner's office said was head trauma caused by "a park ride accident," the complaint said. The ride was shut down for a time after Hawley's injury, the lawsuit says, but was reopened that day. Hawley's parents Anne and William are suing, alleging wrongful death, negligence, a design defect in the coaster and failure to warn riders of potential injury. "There's no outlet for this grief because, I mean, it's such a loss," Anne Hawley said in an interview Tuesday. "We went from a happy family of four to a grieving family of three because of tickets that I purchased for them to go have a fun day." Listed as defendants are Magic Mountain and Six Flags as separate entities and S&S Worldwide as the copyright owner for X2's style of coaster, a "fourth-dimensional" ride with seats that can rotate 360 degrees. The defendants have denied the claims. "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," the ride's description reads on Six Flags' website. "Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension." "This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2," the family's attorney, Ari Friedman, said in a statement. "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 park was sued in 2014 after a Ninja roller-coaster car struck a downed tree on its tracks and partially derailed, causing minor injuries to passengers. A woman in 2001 died after a preexisting aneurysm burst while she was riding the Goliath roller coaster, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said. "Somebody at Magic Mountain should be able to explain to us - and everybody who goes to their park - what happened, why it happened," William Hawley said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Six Flags roller coaster caused college graduate's fatal brain injury, family says
A college graduate died after sustaining severe brain injuries on a roller coaster at California theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain, his family has claimed in a lawsuit. Christopher Hawley died a day after riding the 'unreasonably dangerous' X2 roller coaster in June 2022. The 22-year-old had been in excellent health prior to his death. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and obtained by the Orange County Register, alleges negligence, design defects and a failure to warn riders about the potential dangers of the ride. Christopher had ridden X2 with his younger brother, Alex, and his cousin, Kyle, on June 23, 2022, according to the lawsuit. The ride features seats that rotate 360 degrees forward and backward with a top speed of 76 mph. 'As X2 approached its conclusion, the ride suddenly, abruptly and violently jolted to a halt, jarring decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats,' the suit states, per the Register. After exiting the ride, Christopher reportedly needed support from the handrail and complained that his head hurt, before kneeling down, slumping to his side and losing consciousness. He was taken by paramedics to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California, where a CT scan showed he had suffered a catastrophic brain trauma, according to the lawsuit. 'This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2,' Ari Friedman, the family's attorney, said in a statement. '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.' Six Flags has prioritized profits over safety by failing to redesign the roller coaster – which cost $55 million, the suit alleges. On Tuesday, Anne and William Hawley said the lawsuit was brought to ensure that such a tragic incident was not repeated. 'We want to make sure that that ride isn't going to kill somebody else,' William Hawley told reporters during a video conference call. 'They won't explain to us what happened. They've essentially gone dark. The only way we've been able to contact them is through our attorney.' The pair also remembered their son and the future that he had imagined. 'He just graduated from San Diego State,' Anne Hawley said. 'He was looking forward to beginning the next chapter. He wanted to be an actor. He got a theater arts degree.' The Hawley family's legal team anticipates requesting $10 million or more, and a trial date has been set for October 13. The Independent has reached out to Six Flags for comment about the lawsuit.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- The Independent
Six Flags roller coaster caused college graduate's fatal brain injury, family says
A young college graduate died after sustaining severe brain injuries on a roller coaster at California theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain, his family has claimed in a lawsuit. Christopher Hawley died a day after riding the 'unreasonably dangerous' X2 roller coaster in June 2022. The 22-year-old had been in excellent health prior to his death. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and obtained by the Orange County Register, alleges negligence, design defects and a failure to warn riders about the potential dangers of the ride. Christopher had ridden X2 with his younger brother, Alex, and his cousin, Kyle, on June 23, 2022, according to the lawsuit. The ride features seats that rotate 360 degrees forward and backward with a top speed of 76 mph. 'As X2 approached its conclusion, the ride suddenly, abruptly and violently jolted to a halt, jarring decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats,' the suit states, per the Register. After exiting the ride, Christopher reportedly needed support from the handrail and complained that his head hurt, before kneeling down, slumping to his side and losing consciousness. He was taken by paramedics to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California, where a CT scan showed he had suffered a catastrophic brain trauma, according to the lawsuit. 'This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2,' Ari Friedman, the family's attorney, said in a statement. '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.' Six Flags has prioritized profits over safety by failing to redesign the roller coaster – which cost $55 million, the suit alleges. On Tuesday, Anne and William Hawley said the lawsuit was brought to ensure that such a tragic incident was not repeated. 'We want to make sure that that ride isn't going to kill somebody else,' William Hawley told reporters during a video conference call. 'They won't explain to us what happened. They've essentially gone dark. The only way we've been able to contact them is through our attorney.' The pair also remembered their son and the future that he had imagined. 'He just graduated from San Diego State,' Anne Hawley said. 'He was looking forward to beginning the next chapter. He wanted to be an actor. He got a theater arts degree.' The Hawley family's legal team anticipates requesting $10 million or more, and a trial date has been set for October 13. The Independent
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Their son died after a Magic Mountain roller-coaster ride. Now they're suing
A popular ride at Magic Mountain caused a severe head injury that killed a 22-year-old, according to a lawsuit filed by a Garden Grove family. The fatality occurred on June 23, 2022, after Christopher Hawley rode the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. He was in a row by himself with his cousin and younger brother in the row behind him, the lawsuit said. Read more: Six Flags Magic Mountain sued over Ninja ride accident "The entirety of the X2 ride was extremely rough and jerked its riders around like rag dolls," according to the complaint. At the end of the trip, "the ride suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt, jarring Decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats." "Me and my cousin Kyle and Chris — we had no idea that this was gonna happen," Hawley's brother Alex, now 21, told The Times on Tuesday. Six Flags Magic Mountain denied the claims in the lawsuit, which was updated from an earlier complaint filed in 2023. Immediately after getting off the ride, he stumbled on the offramp, complained of head pain, collapsed and went unconscious. Hawley was in good health on the day of the trip, the lawsuit stated. Doctors found Hawley had a severe brain bleed and a poor prognosis. He died the next day from what coroners said was head trauma caused by "a park ride accident," the complaint said. The ride shut down for a time after Hawley's injury, the lawsuit says, but reopened the same day. Now Hawley's parents Anne and William are suing for wrongful death, alleging negligence, a design defect in the coaster and failure to warn riders of potential injury. "There's no outlet for this grief because, I mean, it's such a loss. We went from a happy family of four to a grieving family of three because of tickets that I purchased for them to go have a fun day," Anne said in an interview Tuesday. Listed as defendants are Magic Mountain and Six Flags as separate entities and S&S Worldwide as the copyright owner for X2's style of coaster, a "fourth-dimensional" ride with seats that can rotate 360 degrees. The defendants have denied the claims. "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," the ride's description reads on the Six Flags website. "Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension." 'This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2,' said the family's attorney, Ari Friedman, in a statement. '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 park was sued in 2014 after a Ninja roller coaster car struck a downed tree on its tracks and partially derailed, causing minor injuries to passengers. A woman in 2001 died after a preexisting aneurysm burst while she was riding the Goliath roller coaster, the county coroner's office said. "Somebody at Magic Mountain should be able to explain to us — and everybody who goes to their park — what happened, why it happened," Hawley's father William said. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
19-03-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Their son died after a Magic Mountain roller-coaster ride. Now they're suing
A popular ride at Magic Mountain caused a severe head injury that killed a 22-year-old, according to a lawsuit filed by a Garden Grove family. The fatality occurred on June 23, 2022, after Christopher Hawley rode the X2 roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. He was in a row by himself with his cousin and younger brother in the row behind him, the lawsuit said. 'The entirety of the X2 ride was extremely rough and jerked its riders around like rag dolls,' according to the complaint. At the end of the trip, 'the ride suddenly, abruptly, and violently jolted to a halt, jarring Decedent Christopher Hawley and the other two boys in their seats.' 'Me and my cousin Kyle and Chris — we had no idea that this was gonna happen,' Hawley's brother Alex, now 21, told The Times on Tuesday. Six Flags Magic Mountain denied the claims in the lawsuit, which was updated from an earlier complaint filed in 2023. Immediately after getting off the ride, he stumbled on the offramp, complained of head pain, collapsed and went unconscious. Hawley was in good health on the day of the trip, the lawsuit stated. Doctors found Hawley had a severe brain bleed and a poor prognosis. He died the next day from what coroners said was head trauma caused by 'a park ride accident,' the complaint said. The ride shut down for a time after Hawley's injury, the lawsuit says, but reopened the same day. Now Hawley's parents Anne and William are suing for wrongful death, alleging negligence, a design defect in the coaster and failure to warn riders of potential injury. 'There's no outlet for this grief because, I mean, it's such a loss. We went from a happy family of four to a grieving family of three because of tickets that I purchased for them to go have a fun day,' Anne said in an interview Tuesday. Listed as defendants are Magic Mountain and Six Flags as separate entities and S&S Worldwide as the copyright owner for X2's style of coaster, a 'fourth-dimensional' ride with seats that can rotate 360 degrees. The defendants have denied the claims. '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,' the ride's description reads on the Six Flags website. 'Quite simply, you will be spun into another dimension.' 'This is not the first time someone has sustained a serious injury as a result of riding X2,' said the family's attorney, Ari Friedman, in a statement. '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 park was sued in 2014 after a Ninja roller coaster car struck a downed tree on its tracks and partially derailed, causing minor injuries to passengers. A woman in 2001 died after a preexisting aneurysm burst while she was riding the Goliath roller coaster, the county coroner's office said. 'Somebody at Magic Mountain should be able to explain to us — and everybody who goes to their park — what happened, why it happened,' Hawley's father William said.
