Two teenage girls are still dealing with what happened on June 14, 2024, a warm afternoon at Portland, Oregon’s Oaks Amusement Park near the Willamette River. Along with 26 other passengers, Xitlali Gomez-Salais, 13, and Evie Yannotta, 14, boarded the AtmosFEAR ride. The ride came to an end. Before Portland Fire & Rescue arrived and started the laborious process of getting everyone down, they were left hanging upside down, about fifty feet above the ground, for about twenty-five minutes.
A Multnomah County jury rendered a $550,000 verdict against Oaks Park and ride manufacturer Zamperla on August 19, 2026, voting 10-2 to award each girl $275,000. After two years of litigation, the Oaks Amusement Park lawsuit verdict gave the families what they had long desired: recognition that something had truly gone wrong, not just money.
According to the lawsuits, the scene during those twenty-five minutes was not subtle. The riders let out screams. A few sobbed. Some people threw up. A few fainted. When you take into account that Yannotta was 14 years old at the time, her statement to the jury that it was the greatest terror she had ever experienced in her life takes on a different meaning. Following the incident, Gomez-Salais reported experiencing weakness, panic, chest pain, and insomnia. Yannotta reported experiencing body aches, dizziness, abrasions, and an elevated heart rate. According to their attorney, both girls needed counseling, treatment, and medication because they have struggled with persistent post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety since the incident.
It’s not just what transpired during the ride that keeps this case alive. After that, it continued for a full two years. Attorney Michael Fuller, who represented both teenagers, claims that Oaks Park and Zamperla denied any responsibility during that time, going so far as to call the families dishonest or exaggerating. Then, both parties acknowledged fault one week prior to the start of the trial. Fuller referred to it as vindication. That word choice is difficult to disagree with.
Following the verdict, Xitlali’s father, Jaime Gomez, made the family’s motivation clear. They weren’t just looking for money. They were looking for honest explanations of what went wrong, why, and how to prevent it from happening to another person’s child. “Our priority has always been to protect our child and to find out exactly what happened,” he stated. “We need real answers and not excuses and deflections.” After two years of being told, in legal terms, that you’re incorrect, that kind of statement usually carries more weight.
According to the complaints, Oaks Park was negligent in a number of ways, including improperly maintaining and operating the AtmosFEAR, not providing the necessary tools for a prompt repair, failing to alert riders to possible hazards, and—most importantly—failing to notify the trapped riders of what was going on while they were suspended upside down in the air. Although it is simple to ignore, the final point is crucial. When you’re hanging at a height with no information and no idea of when or how it ends, twenty-five minutes is a long time.
Zamperla, an Italian ride manufacturer, was named as a third-party defendant in Oaks Park’s independent lawsuit. The $550,000 payout will now be divided by the insurers of the two businesses. It’s unclear how swift or difficult that process was, but the jury’s decision is final.
It’s important to take a step back and observe that this decision comes at a time when amusement park safety lawsuits are receiving increased national attention. The industry was plagued for a long time by the $310 million award given to the family of a 14-year-old boy who died at Orlando’s ICON Park. In terms of money, Oaks Park is a much smaller case, and although the injuries were severe and long-lasting, there was no fatality. However, the pattern is similar: a ride malfunction, a period of institutional denial, and families using the legal system to demand accountability because no other option yielded results.
This timeline has something noteworthy. A jury verdict came after two years of denial and a last-minute admission. The insurance companies will settle the monetary amounts. The girls have grown up. A verdict cannot accurately determine whether the counseling and medication have been helpful or whether the anxiety has decreased at all. What it can do is state unequivocally and in writing that what transpired in Portland that afternoon was unacceptable and not the families’ fault. That might be the most important thing for Evie Yannotta, Xitlali Gomez-Salais, and their families.
