'I think I have PTSD': Riders, bystanders recall horror of Oaks Park ride that stalled mid-air

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Days after a ride of nearly 30 people stalled mid-air at Oaks Amusement Park, those who had been stuck upside down told KOIN 6 News they still suffer effects from the ordeal.

One rider, Evie Yonnata, said the experience impacted her physical and mental health all at once.

"I'm OK. Physically, I still have a headache, and I'm kind of sore just in my upper body area,” Yonnata said. “And mentally, I think I have PTSD."

After being stuck upside down for more than 20 minutes on the AtmosFEAR, Yonnata said the first couple minutes were terrifying.

“A lot of people were screaming, throwing up, crying, panicking — not knowing what to do. Feeling completely helpless,” she said. “And no one was really telling us what was going on. "

Illya Plaksey was a bystander who watched it all unfold with his son by his side.

"My son is autistic, and it was a little bit traumatic for him because he didn't realize what was going on," he said. "You can hear the cell phones dropping, and then you can see shoes flying."

Both Yonnata and Plaksey said the park handled the situation with poor communication.

"All we got for communication was on a megaphone,” Yonnata said. “All they kept repeating was, ‘Help is on the way,’ but no other assurance."

Plaksey said “nothing was being done” by the park on the ground either.

"Stuff still was like bystanders. They just like walking: ‘What's going on?’,” he said. “They had no idea how to act in those situations. So they're not trained. "

However, Portland Fire and Rescue said they are trained for these exact scenarios.

"They did a site visit last year and discussed this very scenario,” PF&R spokesperson Rick Graves said. “What happens if that ride gets stuck at the very top? The Oaks Park ride manager indicated that that is a very unlikely occurrence. However, he did hear that it once happened in the same ride design in an amusement park in Europe."

The park managed to get the ride to come down with no reported injuries. Plaksey said he was offered a refund, but that was not enough to reassure him. KOIN 6 News asked him if he would ever return to the park.

"Oh, no,” he said. “Never."