The family of 22-year-old San Diego State University graduate Christopher Hawley is seeking accountability through a lawsuit against Six Flags Magic Mountain following his fatal injury on the X2 roller coaster.

Christopher collapsed shortly after riding the attraction and passed away the following day.

Christopher visited Six Flags Magic Mountain with his younger brother, Alex, and their cousin on June 23, 2022.

According to his family, Christopher appeared noticeably unwell after stepping off the X2 roller coaster, with his face appearing very red before he suddenly collapsed.

Alex described the coaster as exceptionally rough, noting that it jerked passengers aggressively and concluded with a violent forward jolt that caused riders' heads to slam backward into the headrests.

Emergency responders rushed Christopher to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries the next day.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner subsequently ruled his death an accident caused by blunt head trauma sustained in a park ride accident, with treating surgeons comparing the severe internal brain rupture to shaken baby syndrome.

It's unclear whether Six Flags or the ride's manufacturer had prior warnings regarding specific structural or design issues with the X2 roller coaster before Christopher rode it.

The park has not publicly detailed any specific mechanical findings or internal evaluations from the day of the incident, nor is it clear if underlying health factors were evaluated during the autopsy beyond the noted head trauma.

Attorney Timothy Loranger addressed public safety responsibilities and emphasized, If you're going to operate that and you're going to invite the public to ride as passengers, you have to take every step that you possibly can to ensure that they're going to be safe, that they are not going to suffer an injury that could potentially kill them.

A jury trial alleging defective ride design and failure to warn the public is set to begin on September 8 in Chatsworth.

The lawsuit targets Six Flags, the manufacturer of the X2 roller coaster, and several individual park employees.

Meanwhile, the attraction itself remains closed to the public as state regulators with Cal/OSHA continue investigating a separate, unrelated incident that occurred on the ride earlier this year.