‘I thought I was going to die.’ Woman sues Bloomingdale adventure park, saying she was choked on zip line ride

A woman is suing an adventure park in Bloomingdale alleging she was left hanging by her neck on a zip line ride during a birthday party for her son last year.

Evelyn Rapier claims employees at Urban Air Adventure & Trampoline Park failed to strap her into the harness properly, causing part of it to come loose and slip around her neck.

The lawsuit accuses the workers of negligence and also alleges the park did not properly maintain the ride and should have known it was unsafe.

Cellphone video of the incident on Nov. 19, 2021, shows Rapier traveling along a track at the park while hanging in the air. As she glides across the ground, she can be seen reaching for the top of the harness with her left hand while grabbing at her neck with her right, according to the lawsuit.

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Rapier, 23, alleges she was left hanging there for 30 seconds and was able to avoid choking to death by grabbing the harness and holding it away from her neck. She was at the park for her 3-year-old son’s birthday party.

“As I swung through the air with the harness choking me, I thought I was going to die,” Rapier said in a statement. “All I could think of was my family, friends and especially my young children watching this. Thank God I was able to find the strength to pull the harness away from my neck and survive.”

She suffered rope burns to her neck, a severe headache and a sore throat, according to a medical note from Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center.

The lawsuit claims Rapier did not sign a release before riding the zip line. Additionally, it alleges that the park should have known the dangers of an unsecured harness.

“I want to let people know this ride is dangerous and that the adventure park and its employees are careless and do not make safety a priority,” Rapier said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the park said all staff members were retrained after the incident “out of an abundance of caution.”

“The safety and well-being of our guests and employees is Urban Air’s highest priority in everything we do.” the statement said. “One injury is one too many, but what’s important to remember is ride safety is a shared partnership between the park and their guests and it’s essential they follow posted and verbal guidelines and instructions.”

The suit, filed in DuPage County court, seeks unspecified damages.