"What Happened?"... Compensation Awarded to Teens Left Hanging Upside Down for 25 Minutes as Ride Malfunction Remains Unsolved After 2 Years

Amusement Ride Malfunction at Oregon Theme Park

$550,000 Compensation Awarded Two Years After the Incident

Two teenage girls who were involved in an amusement ride malfunction at a theme park in Oregon, USA, are set to receive a large compensation payout. Two years ago, they endured an ordeal that left them hanging upside down in midair for several dozen minutes after the ride abruptly stopped.

According to local media reports, including People, New York Post, and Oregon Live, on August 20 (local time) a jury in Multnomah County, Oregon, ordered Oaks Park amusement park and the ride manufacturer Zamperla to pay a total of 550,000 dollars (approximately 763.4 million won) to Citlali Gomez-Salais (16) and Evie Yanotta (16), who were both victims of the accident.

The amusement ride "Yatosphere" frozen in midair during the accident. Photo by Portland Fire and Rescue, USA

However, this amount is only a quarter of the maximum compensation of 2 million dollars (about 2.776 billion won) that the two had requested.

The accident occurred in June 2024 at Oaks Park amusement park in Portland, when the "Yatosphere" ride manufactured by Zamperla suddenly stopped due to a mechanical failure. As a result, 28 passengers had to remain hanging upside down at a height of about 15 meters for 25 minutes.

This ride features a massive circular structure that rotates from side to side, gradually widening its radius, and then finishing with a 360-degree spin at the end of the ride sequence.

During the roughly 25-minute ordeal, some riders screamed in terror, while others cried, vomited, or lost consciousness, reporting various physical issues.

After the accident, nine passengers filed lawsuits. Seven of them reached settlements for undisclosed amounts, but Gomez-Salais and Yanotta—who were 13 and 14 years old at the time—proceeded with the trial. The two filed a damages lawsuit against the amusement park, claiming they continue to suffer from both physical and psychological aftereffects resulting from the accident.

Oaks Park acknowledged, "It was an incident that should never occur for a ride to stop mid-operation." However, they added, "We are grateful that all passengers were safely rescued at that time."

Meanwhile, even two years later, the exact reason for the sudden stop remains unknown. Nonetheless, the amusement park stated that they have implemented an additional safety feature ensuring that, in the event of a malfunction, the ride will immediately return to its starting position, thereby eliminating the risk of similar accidents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.