A Multnomah County jury has awarded Xitlali Gomez-Salais and Evie Yannotta $275,000 each over the June 2024 AtmosFEAR ride malfunction at Oaks Amusement Park in Portland, Ore. The verdict came Wednesday after a trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
The awards put a dollar figure on a night that left 28 riders trapped upside down on the ride, about 50 feet above the ground, for roughly 25 minutes before they were lowered. Gomez-Salais and Yannotta were 13 and 14 at the time, and their complaints said the ordeal left them with injuries and effects that reached far beyond the ride itself.
Yannotta’s complaint said she suffered abrasions, soreness, body aches, dizziness, an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, along with ongoing post-traumatic stress and anxiety. Gomez-Salais said she had chest pain, panic, weakness, insomnia, ongoing post-traumatic stress and anxiety. The lawsuits also said riders screamed, cried, vomited and passed out while they were stuck.
That is the part of the case that gave the jury something concrete to weigh. The complaints said Oaks Park failed to safely maintain and operate the ride, did not have the tools needed to fix it quickly, did not adequately warn riders about potential dangers and did not keep them informed while they were trapped. Oaks Park was found liable by the jury, even though it also brought claims against Zamperla in the litigation.
After the verdict, Jaime Gomez said his family’s priority had always been to protect their child and find out exactly what happened. He said they wanted real answers, not excuses or deflections. Michael Fuller said the harm did not end when the ride finally came down, describing the need for counseling, treatment and medication after the incident.
The verdict does not explain why the AtmosFEAR ride stopped with riders hanging upside down in June 2024. What it does make clear is that a jury concluded the malfunction caused lasting harm, and it leaves the cause of the failure — and whether the claims tied to the same incident will be resolved in the same way — still hanging in the air.
