A Multnomah County jury awarded Xitlali Gomez-Salais and Evie Yannotta $275,000 each after the Atmosfear Ride Settlement In Portland tied to the AtmosFEAR ride at Oaks Amusement Park in June 2024. The verdict came Wednesday after a trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Gomez-Salais and Yannotta were among 28 riders trapped upside down when the ride stopped about 50 feet above the ground. Their lawsuits said they were stuck for roughly 25 minutes before the ride was lowered, and that both teenagers were 13 and 14 at the time.
Multnomah County Circuit Court
Jaime Gomez said after Wednesday’s verdict that his family had been looking for answers about what happened to his daughter. He said, "Our priority has always been to protect our child and to find out exactly what happened" and added, "We need real answers and not excuses and deflections."
Michael Fuller, who represented the teenagers, said, "It was horrible to understand that this affected them not just during the 25 minutes on the ride but even in the years after." He said, "They had to seek counseling, treatment, medication."
Oaks Park negligence claims
The lawsuits accused Oaks Park of negligence, saying it failed to safely maintain and operate the ride, lacked the necessary tools to repair it quickly, and did not adequately warn riders about potential dangers. The complaints also said Oaks Park did not adequately keep riders informed while they were trapped.
Yannotta’s complaint said she suffered abrasions, soreness, body aches, dizziness, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure, along with ongoing post-traumatic stress and anxiety. Gomez-Salais’ complaint said she suffered chest pain, panic, weakness, insomnia, ongoing post-traumatic stress, and anxiety.
Zamperla third-party claims
Oaks Park later brought claims against Zamperla, which manufactured the AtmosFEAR, as a third-party defendant. The verdict leaves the awards in place for the two teenagers and centers the unresolved mechanical cause on the ride itself rather than on the injuries alone.
For riders and families tied to the June 2024 malfunction, the case now turns on what the complaint records already raised: how the ride stopped upside down, why it stayed that way, and what standards were used to respond once 28 riders were left hanging above the ground.
