Oregon amusement park files lawsuit against ride manufacturer after it leaves guests hanging upside down
An Oregon amusement park is passing the blame to the ride manufacturer after a topsy-turvy ride malfunctioned earlier this year, stranding two dozen riders who were left hanging upside down for roughly 30 minutes.
The lawsuit is the second stemming from the June incident that made waves after horrific images of the stranded riders circulated on social media. The images showed passengers hanging upside down at Oaks Park's "AtmosFEAR" ride, a spinning pendulum-style ride.
Oaks Park filed a lawsuit against Zamperla, the manufacturer and installer of the ride, alleging that the company is "negligent and responsible" for the incident and liable for all losses, costs and attorney fees.
The lawsuit also claims that Zamperla failed to keep the ride safe and did not have the proper tools or procedures to fix it to properly maintain it.
TEEN ‘THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO DIE’ STUCK UPSIDE DOWN AFTER OREGON THEME PARK RIDE MALFUNCTIONS
The park's lawsuit against Zamperla aims to make the ride maker liable to the park for any financial losses associated with a pending lawsuit about the June malfunction.
In June, Amy Yannotta filed a lawsuit against Oaks Park after her 14-year-old daughter was stuck on "AtmosFEAR."
Yannotta claimed that her daughter experienced abrasions, soreness, body aches, and increased blood flow to the brain, causing intracranial pressure, dizziness, increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and ongoing post-traumatic stress and anxiety following the incident.
The mother initially sought up to $125,000 for negligence, but has since amended the amount to $345,000 for damages.
The two lawsuits came after the thrill ride malfunctioned on the park's first day of opening for the summer.
Officials said that approximately 30 people were stuck upside-down until help arrived.
Video footage, taken by Chris Ryan, showed the dozens of riders stuck vertically upside down on the ride.
"This isn't supposed to be like this," he said, showing footage of the upside-down ride with park goers gathered around the base.
Park engineers, alongside fire officials, worked together to "manually lower" the topsy-turvy ride, the department said. Thirty-minutes later, ride goers were back on stable ground and medically evaluated.
Oak's Park is Oregon’s oldest existing amusement park and is just 3.5 miles from downtown Portland.
Oaks Park officials and Zamperla did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.