ORLANDO, Fla. – A newly released incident report is providing insights into the response by Orange County Fire Rescue on the day a 32-year-old man passed away after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe.
The individual, identified as Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, suffered “multiple blunt impact injuries,” according to the medical examiner, and his death has been classified as an accident.
On September 17, units from Orange County Fire Rescue responded to a medical emergency at Epic Universe. They were alerted about an unresponsive individual at the Stardust Racer roller coaster. The report indicates that it took three units between seven to 13 minutes to reach the site.
Upon their arrival at the attraction platform, the report indicates that two Universal paramedics were already present, attending to the individual who remained seated on the ride with the restraint bar engaged and an automated external defibrillator (AED) connected. The patient had no pulse.
Crews assisted in lifting the restraint bar and moving the patient to an open area where CPR was performed.
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Zavala was secured to a backboard and taken to the hospital as a trauma alert, where he was later declared deceased, according to a Universal spokesperson.
An incident report acquired by News 6 reveals that Zavala had a “preexisting spinal injury,” though it remains uncertain if this contributed to the incident.
Despite that, Universal Orlando’s safety guide shows that Stardust Racers is “not for guests with back, neck, or similar physical conditions.”
In a news conference last Thursday, attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Zavala’s family, stated that Zavala’s lifelong condition of spinal cord atrophy was not the cause of his death on the Stardust Racers roller coaster.
Crump’s team said their investigation so far showed Zavala had been unconscious for much of the ride and suffered several head injuries. They also said witnesses noticed that there was blood, and part of a seat covering was detached and hanging off the seat.
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In a news conference on Tuesday, Crump shared that his legal team heard from additional witnesses and other riders who reported suffering injuries on Stardust Racers.
“These injuries are consistent, said Crump. ”Problems with restraints, riders being thrown forward, hitting hard structures. This shows that Kevin’s case was not an isolated incident.“
Crump and his team said they want all videos and reports related to Zavala’s death released to the family. The team is conducting its own independent investigation.
Universal Orlando Resort President and COO Karen Irwin said in a letter to team members that internal findings confirmed the ride “functioned as intended” and that the equipment was intact when the ride started, throughout the ride, and when it returned to the station.
Stardust Racers remains closed as part of the ongoing investigation.
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