PORTLAND, Ore. (NewsNation) — When Evie Yannotta visited the Oaks Amusement Park in Southeast Portland, Oregon, on the park’s first day open for the season, she was not expecting to be hanging upside down from a ride for nearly 30 minutes while help was on the way.
Yannotta, 14, was among 27 others trapped upside down on the AtmosFEAR ride for 25 minutes, hanging at 50 feet. Officials at the scene said once they successfully lowered the ride, all passengers were evacuated and medically evaluated.
No injuries have been reported, but the park did say one person with preexisting medical conditions was taken to the hospital for further evaluation “out of an abundance of caution.”
Yannotta said she was mostly just sore in her upper body from where she was pressed against the harness holding her into the ride’s seat, and she still has a bit of a headache from hanging upside down.
“Mentally, I think I have PTSD,” Yannotta said.
She said the whole experience left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, (PTSD) and she doesn’t think she will be returning to the amusement park anytime soon.
The cause of the ride’s stop remains unclear, but officials say the ride will be closed until further notice.
She knew something was wrong about 10 seconds after the ride stalled at the top. Initially, panic set in and riders started to scream, cry and even throw up.
“A lot of people were screaming, throwing up, crying, panicking, not knowing what to do and feeling completely helpless,” Yannotta said.
Plus, the only communication the riders received was a message through a megaphone saying help was on the way.
“I had no idea what was going on,” she said. “A lot of people were screaming their heads off.”