ORLANDO, Fla – A lawsuit involving Universal City Development Partners Ltd., concerning alleged negligence after a woman sustained injuries on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal Epic Universe, was settled shortly after it began, as per court records.
The lawsuit, seeking over $50,000 in damages, arose from an April 30 incident involving Sandi Streets, a lawful visitor on the coaster.
In the complaint, Streets alleged her “head shook violently and slammed into the seat’s headrest during the ride,” resulting in permanent injuries. She contended that Universal neglected to maintain the ride safely and failed to provide sufficient warnings about potential hazards.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, Sept. 24, yet Orange County court documents later showed a “Notice of Settlement” and “Voluntary Dismissal” by Friday.
The dual-launch roller coaster features hills, reaches up to 133 feet in height on a 4,800-foot track, with speeds up to 62 mph, and includes “twists, turns, drops, and flips without head restraints,” according to the lawsuit.
Streets charged the company with neglecting its duty of care by inadequately restraining riders’ heads, failing to inspect and maintain the coaster, not correcting hazardous conditions, and not sufficiently warning riders.
News 6 reached out to the law firm who filed the suit and to Universal, but have not heard back as of this writing.
The lawsuit comes as an investigation is underway into a man’s death after he rode Stardust Racers on Sept. 17.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsiveafter riding the roller coaster and later died. His death was ruled an accident, according to a medical examiner who declared the cause of death was from “multiple blunt impact injuries.”
Stardust Racers has been closed since the most recent incident as investigators look into what happened.
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