In a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, Matthew Cantu of Austin, Texas, is seeking $1 million in damages after he says he was injured in a December 2025 incident in which he and a friend, Nicholas Sanchez, were stuck on the Circuit-Breaker roller coaster at COTALAND, a new amusement park in Austin. The pair were allegedly left hanging vertically for more than an hour.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit claims Cantu suffered injuries to his head, neck, back and other parts of his body. Cantu also alleges that he doesn’t feel that there was an emergency protocol followed in the incident.<\/p>\n
![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/aol_people_articles_471\/e72f41c20a896eb60f828dd0bb846769.jpeg\"\/)
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Construction on the Circuit Breaker at COTALAND in Austin, Texas.
Credit: Jay Janner\/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you’re in that scenario and you hear them call out, \u2018Get the manual,’ I mean, that sends shivers down the spine,\u201d Cantu told KXAN<\/a>.<\/p>\n The suit points to at least five other instances of this style of \u201ctilt\u201d roller coaster malfunctioning in other theme parks since June of last year. It alleges that none resulted in riders being kept in a vertical position as long as Cantu and Sanchez were.<\/p>\n Catalina Sanchez, a publicist and Cantu’s partner, was on the ground and captured footage of the men dangling in the air.\u201cAs a loved one, you never expect to go through something like that,\u201d Catalina, who is Nicholas’ sister, told CBS Austin<\/a> at the time.<\/p>\n In a statement shared with PEOPLE in December, she claims the ride stopped at 8:52 p.m. After 30 minutes of \u201cno clear updates,\u201d the family decided to call 911. She said Cantu experienced \u201clightheadedness and symptoms consistent with blood pooling,\u201d while Nicholas felt \u201cnumbness in his upper leg following the prolonged suspension.\u201d<\/p>\n In December, Cantu told CBS Austin that his mind \u201cwent to the darkest places,\u201d while stuck on the ride. \u201cBeing up there that long, it can do a lot to a person.\u201d<\/p>\n “At that position, the only thing between the ground and you is the harness,” Cantu told the outlet. \u201cOnce we got to that 90-degree angle and a sufficient amount of time had passed, we realized that something serious was wrong.”<\/p>\n In a December statement shared with CBS Austin, a spokesperson for the park said \u201ca sensor triggered a ride delay\u201d and that the issue was resolved and the \u201cride proceeded without incident.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe take guest safety extremely seriously, and the ride’s built-in safety systems functioned exactly as intended during this temporary delay,\u201d COTALAND vice president of marketing Griffin Tendler told KXAN in a statement in response to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cWhile we understand that any interruption can be frustrating for guests, the characterization of this incident in the lawsuit is inaccurate and motivated by greed. Our focus remains on delivering a safe, enjoyable experience for every future guest at COTALAND.\u201d<\/p>\n KXAN reported the roller coaster passed inspection and received a\u00a0compliance sticker<\/a>\u00a0valid until Oct. 31, 2026 according to the Texas Department of Insurance. The ride opened to the public in October 2025 to coincide with the F1 U.S. Grand Prix. COTALAND, Austin’s first major theme park, is expected to fully open this summer.<\/p>\n PEOPLE has reached out to COTALAND for comment.<\/p>\n