Credit: UniversalOn September 17, 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala visited Universal Orlando Resort and explored its newest addition, the Epic Universe theme park. While there, he entered Celestial Park and boarded Stardust Racers, a recently debuted dual-launch roller coaster that peaks at 133 feet and reaches speeds up to 62 miles per hour.
Tragically, during the ride, Mr. Zavala lost consciousness. When the coaster came to a stop, emergency responders immediately attended to him and rushed him to the hospital. Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was later pronounced dead. A medical examiner later determined that Mr. Zavala had suffered “multiple blunt impact injuries” after losing consciousness on the ride.
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Mr. Zavala’s girlfriend revealed that Mr. Zavala had a previous spinal injury and was taking medication, but we do not yet know if those factors contributed to his heartbreaking death.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services immediately launched an investigation into Mr. Zavala’s death and said that Universal was cooperating. And days after his death, Universal Orlando President and COO Karen Irwin sent out a message to team members, saying that the ride was functioning normally when Mr. Zavala boarded.
Ms. Irwin further stated that the ride system functioned normally while Mr. Zavala rode and when the train returned to the station. She thanked team members for their professionalism and encouraged them to seek mental help if they were struggling with the shocking incident.
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Despite the fact that the Medical Examiner ruled Mr. Zavala’s death an accident, and that Universal Orlando’s safety guide states that “guests with back, neck or similar physical conditions” should not ride Stardust Racers, an investigation has been launched.
According to a report from Click Orlando, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Mr. Zavala’s under the state’s “manslaughter” statute.
News 6 reached out to the OCSO, which clarified details about the investigation, saying that it’s part of standard procedure.
“This is a death investigation. In cases which appear at first glance to be accidental deaths – which this case does – detectives must determine whether there is any negligence, whether criminal or non-criminal,” a spokesperson for the OCSO said. “Manslaughter is just the name of the catch-all statute covering deaths that are not natural. Through their investigation, detectives attempt to figure out IF there is any culpable negligence or a crime that occurred. And to accomplish this, we must let detectives follow the evidence and conduct a full and thorough investigation.”
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In addition to the manslaughter investigation, the family of Mr. Zavala has also reportedly hired famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Mr. Crump has reportedly asked Universal to release its maintenance logs, ride inspection logs, ride data, and video footage from the day Mr. Zavala died.
“This tragic loss demands a thorough investigation and full transparency,” he said. “A man died after boarding a ride that should have been safe. We will hold all responsible parties to account and fight to ensure that all media inquiries be directed to Ben Crump Law’s office.”
Mr. Crump also represented the family of Tyre Sampson, the 14-year-old boy who fell to his death while riding the Orlando FreeFall drop tower at Orlando’s ICON Park in 2022.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Zavala family during this difficult time.
Do you think that theme parks like Epic Universe need to be stricter about the people who ride their attractions? Instead of just warnings, do you think they should not let certain guests ride? Do you think that attractions like Stardust Racers are too intense and should be tamed down? Share your thoughts on this tragic event with us in the comments.