Six Flags Roller Coaster Linked to Serious Brain Injuries Shut Down

A popular Six Flags roller coaster linked to two deaths and recent traumatic brain injuries in California is being grounded.

A new CNN investigation reviewed records tied to the X2 coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia and found more than a dozen riders suffered serious injuries or hospitalizations over the years ... including multiple brain injuries.

Two women were hospitalized just six days apart in July after riding X2 -- and both needed emergency brain surgery.

One collapsed after getting off the coaster ... while the other is still dealing with headaches, fatigue and other effects from brain damage.

CNN also found a 22-year-old man died after riding X2 ... with his family saying he had been healthy beforehand.

Six Flags has maintained the 24-year-old coaster undergoes daily inspections and a normal rider using it properly would not suffer a traumatic brain injury. The coaster is currently closed.

Another death was linked to the coaster in 2010 ... when Hilda Farias died after riding X2 ... though medical experts said multiple factors were at play, including an existing brain abnormality.