Nearly 30 riders were rescued after being stuck upside down on a ride at a Portland amusement park
By Sara Smart and Dalia Faheid, CNN
(CNN) — Almost 30 people were rescued and medically evaluated after being stuck hanging upside down on a ride at an amusement park in Portland.
The “AtmosFEAR” ride at Oaks Amusement Park “stopped at the apex position while operating in the 360-degree setting, suspending 28 riders upside down,” the park wrote on X.
Portland Fire & Rescue responded around 3:15 p.m. local time after the ride got stuck, according to a post on X.
“Portland Fire is en route to Oaks Park for a ride that is stuck, with multiple riders. At this point there are no indications of injury,” the fire department said.
Jordan Harding, 18, thought she would never see her family again while trapped on the ride.
“At first I was like freaking out, but then I was like it’s fine. I thought we’d come down in 10 seconds, 15 seconds, whatever,” Harding told CNN.
She said 20 seconds turned into three minutes, then riders started to panic, scream, and call for help.
“What I was thinking is just like I’m never going to see my dad again. I’m never going to see my brother again. Like I’m never going to go college. I’m never going to get married. I’m just never going to have these major milestones,” she said. “I’m 18, I have so much life left to live. Like, I’m going to die like this, are you joking? I haven’t even been graduated a week.”
Portland Fire said it worked with park engineers to lower the ride manually but also prepared the high-angle rope rescue team “to affect rescues with the ride stuck, as is, if they are unable to manually lower the ride.”
The ride was manually lowered around 3:24 p.m., according to the fire department. The riders were then evacuated and medically evaluated. One rider was transported to the hospital for further evaluation and the others were released by medics, according to the park.
Daniel Allen, who was on the ride when it stopped, told CNN affiliate KATU that the restriction of the harness on his chest made it difficult for him to breathe because he has asthma.
“I was crying, not of joy, not of anything, I was just crying. I was more happy, I was alive. I don’t think I’ve ever appreciated my life more,” Allen said.
The AtmosFEAR ride, in which riders can choose to spin either 360 or 180 degrees, has been closed until further notice, according to the park’s website. It has been in operation since 2021 and the park had no issues with it, according to the statement from the park. The park said it will work with the manufacturer and state inspectors to identify what caused the incident.
Friday was the opening day for the 2024 season of the amusement park, according to the park’s Facebook page. The park is located just south of downtown Portland along the Willamette River.
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CNN’s Taylor Galgano contributed to this report.
