ORLANDO, Fla. – An Epic Universe guest died Wednesday after riding a roller coaster and becoming unresponsive, Florida park officials said.
The guest, later identified by Orange County deputies as Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died after riding Stardust Racers, according to a Universal spokesperson.
[VIDEO BELOW: News 6 community correspondent Mark Lehman reports at the park]
Zavala did not fall from the ride. Instead, an autopsy performed on Thursday morning shows that the cause of death is “multiple blunt impact injuries,” according to Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany.
“The manner of death is accident,” he told News 6.
The Universal spokesperson also released a statement about the incident.
“Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night. The guest became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers and was transported to the hospital, where the guest later died. We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones. We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation. The attraction remains closed.”
Fellow guest Maria Fernandez, who said she was on the same racer as Zavala, recounted what happened to News 6.
“When I was on the ride, the travel finishes, and one girl starts to say, ‘Help! Help! Help!’” she explained. “...The girl was screaming, and we didn’t understand what happened.”
When the ride came to a stop, security began to usher riders off the roller coaster, Fernandez added.
Meanwhile, she said that Zavala appeared to be slumped over, bleeding, with his leg seemingly broken.
“I don’t know if he was dead in that moment, but I think yes,” she continued.
Stardust Racers has been one of the most popular attractions at Epic Universe since it opened in May.
The ride is a dual-launch racing coaster that reaches speeds up to 62 mph and reaches a height of 133 feet. It’s described as Universal’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers along 5,000 feet of track.
The Universal App shows the ride is closed on Thursday.
Universal Orlando Resorts opened Epic Universe in May. The park has five themed sections and a 500-room hotel.
It’s the first major, traditional theme park to open in Florida since 1999, when Universal Islands of Adventure debuted, though Universal opened a themed Orlando water park, Volcano Bay, in 2017.
The addition of Epic Universe brought the total number of parks at the Florida resort to four, including Universal Studios.
Florida’s largest theme parks are exempt from state safety inspections, unlike smaller venues and fairs. Instead, the largest theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols, but they must report to the state any injury or death.
In the second quarter of this year, there were a dozen reports from Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld Orlando. They ranged from a 78-year-old woman becoming unresponsive on a child-friendly carousel at SeaWorld to an 87-year-old woman with a preexisting condition losing consciousness after going on the Dinosaur ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Since Epic Universe opened in May, there have been three reports made. In June, a 63-year-old man with a preexisting condition experienced dizziness and “an altered state of consciousness,” and a 47-year-old woman with a preexisting condition had a “visual disturbance” and numbness after going on the Stardust Racers roller coaster, on separate days. A 32-year-old man experienced chest pains after going on the Hiccup’s Wing Gliders ride in May, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
The agency released this statement to News 6 regarding the incident:
“The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is aware of the incident and currently has an investigator on scene. Universal has been extremely cooperative and has complied with all required notifications. This is an ongoing investigation, and more information will be released as it is available.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.