A malfunction at Oaks Park amusement park in southeast Portland, Oregon, left two teenage girls hanging upside down 30 meters above the ground for around 25 minutes. Two years after the incident, they have been awarded a total of $550,000 in damages.
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Chitlali Gomez-Salais, who was 13 at the time, and 14-year-old Evie Yanota had gone to the park to celebrate the end of the school year during a summer outing. On June 14, 2024, their ride on the AtmosFEAR attraction took a frightening turn when the ride, which performs 360-degree rotations, suddenly stopped.
The two girls remained upside down until rescue teams managed to free them. Following the trial, which began on Monday, the court ruled that each of them should receive $275,000.
During their testimony, the teenagers said they had experienced severe headaches because of blood pooling in their heads. They also saw other passengers in the carriage vomiting, shaken by fear and the pressure of being suspended.
The risk that their safety harnesses could come undone at any moment was their main concern. “I thought maybe we didn’t have much time left,” Evie Yanota testified. Meanwhile, tearful, Xitlali Gomez-Salais said: “I didn’t want people to watch me die.”
After the incident, Xitlali said she suffered from anxiety and used antidepressants for a period of time. She began to fear elevators and flights, believing she could become trapped or lose her life at any moment.
Evie Yanota, who is a Korean martial arts champion, said the physical consequences forced her to temporarily stop participating in her competitions. Both girls, now 16, received psychological support.
About 30 people were in the AtmosFEAR carriage when the malfunction occurred. Nine passengers filed lawsuits, but seven of them reached out-of-court settlements for undisclosed amounts. The two teenagers were the only ones to continue with the trial, seeking a total of $2 million from Oaks Park and Italian manufacturer Zamperla.
Both sides acknowledged that the malfunction had created liability, as the carriage should not have completed a full 360-degree rotation because of the uneven distribution of the passengers’ weight. However, the companies’ lawyers argued that the physical and psychological injuries had not been long-term and that the girls had continued living their lives normally.
It was also reported during the proceedings that Evie Yanota had returned to martial arts and won national titles, despite the claim that a shoulder injury might prevent her from competing again.
After the verdict, Oaks Park said that “safety is our absolute priority.” The park added that it would continue cooperating with manufacturers and state regulators to ensure the protection of visitors.
