Oregon
Oregon amusement park files lawsuit against ride manufacturer after it leaves guests hanging upside down
Oregon theme park riders stuck upside down
Emergency crews in Oregon rescued 30 people trapped upside down on a ride at Oaks Park, one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the United States. (Credit: TikTok/Chris Ryan)
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
At least 30 people were left hanging upside down at an amusement park in Oregon. (Portland Fire & Rescue)
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 riders were seen hanging upside down. (Chris Ryan via TikTok)
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.
DOZENS OF OREGON AMUSEMENT PARK GUESTS LEFT HANGING UPSIDE DOWN AFTER RIDE MALFUNCTION ON OPENING DAY
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.
The malfunction came on the park’s first day of the summer season. (Portland Fire & Rescue via X)
Oak’s Park is Oregon’s oldest existing amusement park and is just 3.5 miles from downtown Portland.
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Oaks Park officials and Zamperla did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.
Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.
However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.
Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.
“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”
Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.
“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”
Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.
The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.
Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.
“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.
Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.
Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.
Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.
“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.
The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.
Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.
“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.
The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.
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