Xitlali Gomez-Salais and Evie Yannotta, who were 13 and 14 at the time, were among 30 people riding the AtmosFEAR at Oaks Amusement Park in June 2024 when the ride malfunctioned, leaving everyone suspended upside down for nearly 30 minutes, the New York Post reported.
Rescue crews eventually manually overrode the ride’s system, allowing all riders to be brought down safely.
The incident later led to lawsuits against Oaks Amusement Park and the ride’s manufacturer, Zamperla.
A jury ruled Aug. 19 that Gomez-Salais and Yannotta, both now 16, should each receive $275,000, the Daily Mail reported.
The teens had sought a combined $2 million in damages.
The girls said they feared they would fall about 100 feet to their deaths while trapped on the ride.
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AtmosFEAR ride at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, U.S. Photo courtesy of the park |
Oaks Park said in a statement that it was grateful all the riders were safely brought down and that the matter had been resolved.
“Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to work with ride manufacturers and state inspectors to ensure rider safety,” the park said.
The family of one of the teens described the incident as extremely traumatic.
“We filed this lawsuit to seek accountability and justice,” the family said in a statement.
“Evie will go on to accomplish great things in her life, despite the trauma she endured at Oaks Park. We thank the jury for their decision.”
