24.08.2026 20:41
In the state of California, USA, 22-year-old Christopher Hawley died one day after riding a roller coaster at an amusement park. While his family filed a lawsuit against the amusement park, the coroner's office stated the cause of the young man's death as 'head trauma'.
Christopher Hawley, a 22-year-old resident of Garden Grove, California, visited Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. A day after riding a roller coaster at the park, Hawley passed away.
CORONER SAID "HEAD TRAUMA"
In the lawsuit filed after the incident that occurred in June 2022, his family claimed that Hawley became unwell after riding the attraction and then became visibly ill. The lawsuit petition alleges that Hawley sustained severe head and brain injuries as a result of an accident on the amusement park ride he boarded, which ultimately led to his death. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office later determined that the young man died from 'head trauma'.
BROTHER DESCRIBED WHAT HAPPENED: HIS FACE TURNED RED AND HE SUDDENLY COLLAPSED
His younger brother Alex, who was at the amusement park with him, said their heads hit the headrests when the roller coaster suddenly stopped. Alex said, "It was extremely intense. It shook us violently. It threw us in every direction. It suddenly threw us forward, and then our heads were thrown backward all the way to the headrest."
Alex stated that after his brother got off the ride, his face turned red and he suddenly collapsed. He noted that emergency medical teams took Christopher to a nearby hospital, but he passed away the next day due to his injuries.
"WE WENT FROM A FAMILY OF FOUR TO A FAMILY OF THREE IN AN INSTANT"
Father William Hawley said a surgeon compared his son's injuries to shaken baby syndrome. Hawley noted that this is a severe head trauma caused by the brain moving within the skull due to sudden forces, leading to swelling, bruising, and bleeding.
Christopher's mother, Anne Hawley, who said, "I remember Alex saying, 'Mom, Christopher collapsed and won't wake up,'" also expressed, "We went from a family of four to a family of three in an instant. It's devastating. It's a part of us lost forever."
ANOTHER INCIDENT ON THE SAME ROLLER COASTER
Last month, an incident occurred on the same ride, and a passenger was found unconscious, which caused the park to close the attraction for a month. The trial for the family's compensation lawsuit is set to begin in September.
The family's attorney, Timothy Loranger, criticized the amusement park operator, saying: "If you're going to operate something like this and invite the public to ride as passengers, you must take every possible step to ensure their safety and to make sure they aren't subjected to an injury that could potentially lead to their death."