AUSTIN (KXAN) — A lawsuit filed against the Circuit of the Americas’ new theme park is alleging “gross negligence” after a roller coaster incident we reported on in December. COTALAND, which is set to fully open this year, is facing the $1 million civil suit for not having an evacuation plan during the malfunction, which is alleged to have caused one rider “serious injury,” according to the legal complaint, which park officials pushed back against claiming it is “motivated by greed.”
‘Get the manual’
Cell phone video captured the moments Matthew Cantu and Nicholas Sanchez were stuck in a 90-degree position 120 feet in the air while riding the “Circuit Breaker” on Dec. 17. The two friends were left hanging in a vertical position for more than an hour, according to the suit.
“When you’re in that scenario and you hear them call out, ‘Get the manual,’ I mean that sends shivers down the spine,” said Cantu, who lives in Austin.
The lawsuit alleges Cantu suffered injuries to his head, neck, back and other parts of his body. Asked if it felt there was an emergency plan in place at the time, Cantu told KXAN: “Oh not at all, not at all.”…