Firefighters rescued 28 terrified people who were left dangling upside down in the air for nearly 30 minutes on an amusement ride in Oregon on Friday, leaving some of the riders praying and "freaking out," according to a report.
Portland Fire and Rescue said on X that firefighters rushed to Oaks Park on Friday afternoon where they worked with the park's engineers to manually lower the ride.
"One rider with pre-existing medical conditions was transported to the hospital for further evaluation, out of an abundance of caution," Oaks Park officials said, KGW8 reported.
The ride, called AtmosFEAR, acts like a pendulum that swings back and forth and stops for a moment leaving riders upside down before returning to its initial position.
Daniel Allen and Jordan Harding were celebrating their high school graduation at the park when they decided to ride the AtmosFEAR.
"I was excited to go on," Allen told the station. "When you get stuck up there, I don't think you're so excited anymore."
Harding said after they were left hanging for more than a few seconds, they realized something was wrong.
"We were just freaking out," Harding said. "People were crying. They were just putting into the universe what they wanted to say for their last words."
"I'm not even religious, and I said a prayer. I didn't think I was going to live to see right now," she admitted.
They said hanging upside down took a physical toll.
"That position is just so uncomfortable physically," Harding said. "Twenty-five minutes. My entire waist below was asleep."
Oaks Park thanked its staff for taking "prompt action," guests for "following orders," and emergency responders for taking care of the "situation," KGW 8 reported.
The park, which is working with state inspectors and the ride's manufacturer to figure out what caused the problem, offered guests refunds.
