College grad reportedly dies in Six Flags roller coaster incident as family sues theme park

Christopher's death was ruled an accident caused by blunt-force head trauma sustained from the attraction, which his family described as exceptionally rough, Fox 11 said.

His younger brother, Alex, described the ride as intensely violent, saying it jerked passengers around before ending with a jolt that sent their heads slamming into the headrests.

"It was very rough. It just jerked us. It just jerked us all around," Alex told the local station.

"It just jolted us all the way forward and then our heads just swung all the way back into the headrest."

After Christopher stepped off the attraction, he reportedly appeared noticeably unwell, with his face turning very red before suddenly collapsing.

Emergency responders rushed him to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries the next day, Fox 11 reported.

The family said a surgeon compared Hawley's injuries to shaken baby syndrome, a condition in which violent and sudden forces cause the brain to move rapidly within the skull, potentially resulting in swelling, bruising and bleeding.

"The surgeon had said, he likened it to shaken baby syndrome, that the ride hit his head so hard that it had basically ruptured his brain," Christopher's father, William, told the local station.

Six Flags declined to comment directly on the litigation to Fox News Digital.

However, the amusement park told Fox 11 that the ride remains closed following the separate July 2026 incident involving the unconscious rider.

"The ride remains closed at this time. It has been closed since the evening of July 12th," Six Flags said.

A jury trial involving Six Flags, the manufacturer of the X2 roller coaster and park employees is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, according to reports.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants failed to adequately warn the public about the ride's risks, the local station said.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.