ORLANDO, Fla. – An incident report released Thursday is shedding light on Orange County Fire Rescue’s response the day a 32-year-old man died after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe.
The patient, identified as Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, sustained “multiple blunt impact injuries,” the medical examiner said, and his death was ruled an accident.
On Sept. 17, Orange County Fire Rescue units responded to a medical emergency at Epic Universe. The call came in for an unresponsive patient at the Stardust Racers roller coaster. It took three units seven to 13 minutes to arrive on scene, the report states.
When crews arrived at the attraction platform, the report states two Universal paramedics were already attending to the patient, who was seated on the ride with the restraint bar still in place and an automated external defibrillator (AED) attached. The patient also did not have a 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 strapped to a backboard before being transported to the hospital as a trauma alert, where he was ultimately pronounced dead, according to a Universal spokesperson.
An incident report obtained by News 6 shows that Zavala had a “preexisting spinal injury,” though it’s unclear whether that contributed to the accident.
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.