Carousel horror: 28 riders stranded upside down in portland park
Twenty-eight people experienced a harrowing ride on a carousel in an amusement park in Portland, Oregon, when one of the devices malfunctioned and suddenly stopped. The incident occurred at the worst possible moment, leaving the riders in a precarious position.
11:37 AM EDT, June 17, 2024
The amusement ride, named Atmosfear, in Oaks Park in Portland, suddenly stopped while passengers were hanging upside down in their seats.
This phase of the carousel's operation typically lasts only a moment as the rotating seats quickly return to their normal position. However, this time, the thrill-seekers had to endure the uncomfortable situation for half an hour.
Carousel malfunction in american amusement park: they hung upside down
The carousel malfunction occurred on Friday afternoon, with the seats nearly sold out. Interestingly, it happened after a maintenance break, during which the ride was supposed to be checked and cleared for flawless operation.
According to "NYP," participants of the ill-fated ride feared for their lives. Although their ordeal lasted only half an hour, it felt like an eternity to them. "I didn’t think I was going to live to see it right now," said one of the women who went through the harrowing experience in the interview with KGW8.
People waited for intervention, hanging upside down the entire time. Park engineers, unable to identify the cause of the malfunction and devise a quick solution, called for assistance from the fire department.
Around 3:25 PM, the device was manually lowered, and all passengers were safely escorted down, according to local fire department representatives. One person with pre-existing conditions was taken to a local hospital "out of an abundance of caution," stated Oaks Park management in Portland.
Source: "New York Post"
