One family has already filed suit against Oaks Amusement Park over an incident last week, where two dozen riders were trapped dangling upside down when a ride malfunctioned, according to their attorney.
The plaintiff’s attorney, Michael Fuller, says they are seeking up to $125,000 for negligence. The suit claims that 14-year-old Evie Yannotta was stuck on the ride and since then has suffered physical pain and discomfort, mental suffering, terror, fright, emotional distress and other difficulties. The company had a duty to ensure the ride would be safe and failed to do so, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by Willamette Week.
In particular, the lawsuit claims Oaks Amusement Park failed to maintain and operate the ride in a safe condition, failed to have the necessary tools at hand to fix it quickly, and didn’t know the proper procedure to repair the ride without having to call the manufacturer.
Asked about the lawsuit, representatives for Oaks Park said they were unable to provide further comment beyond what they had already said about the incident.
On June 14, more than two dozen people were stuck in a perilous position for about a half-hour when an “extreme” pendulum ride called “AtmosFEAR” malfunctioned, marring opening day festivities at the Southeast Portland landmark.
Riders were stuck for up to 30 minutes at what park officials called its “apex position” on the 360-degree setting.
Oaks Amusement Park has said the ride got stuck at 2:55 p.m. and after firefighters arrived, the Oaks Amusement Park’s ride engineer manually forced the ride to start coming back down using a tool borrowed from the fire department, park spokesperson Emily MacKay said. By 3:20 p.m. the ride was reportedly unstuck.
Because nobody was injured or killed in Friday’s incident and because there was no property damage, Oaks Amusement Park has not been required to report what happened to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, which permits amusement rides in the state.
— Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter with a focus on crime. Reach him at 971-373-2905; fzarkhin@oregonian.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.