ORLANDO, Fla. – The family of a 32-year-old man who died after riding Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe condemned Universal Orlando’s decision to reopen the attraction.
Prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump was joined by Kevin Rodriguez Zavala’s family members for a news conference on Monday to discuss Universal Orlando’s decision to reopen the ride. Rodriguez Zavala died on Sept. 17 of "multiple blunt impact injuries.”
[VIDEO: Attorney Ben Crump to hold news conference condemning Universal’s decision to reopen Stardust Racers]
“If that was your child, what message did Universal just send to this family? It was a slap in the face to them,” he said.
[WATCH BELOW: Stardust Racers reopens with new safety rules after man’s death]
Crump has called for the release of video, ride data and more to understand the circumstances that led to Rodriguez Zavala’s death last month. He said despite Universal Orlando’s president saying safety was at the forefront after the man’s death, “these words ring out hollow.”
“These words ring out hollow in light of you reopening the Stardust coaster this weekend without giving Kevin’s family any answers whatsoever to why he was killed on your roller coaster,” he said.
The ride was closed for a couple of weeks until Universal Orlando President and COO Karen Irwin sent a letter to staff on Friday that the ride would reopen the following day after a “comprehensive technical and operational review confirmed the ride systems functioned properly.” She had previously said in an internal letter following the man’s death that 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.
[WATCH BELOW: Family of man who died after riding Epic Universe coaster asks for transparency from Universal]
Crump said during a news conference last week that his team was conducting an independent investigation. However, Crump said the ride reopened before his experts could inspect the coaster. When asked why he didn’t try to get an injunction, Crump replied, “because we trusted Universal.”
“We trusted Universal and like Kevin, trust was betrayed. Apparently, ours was too. We thought our experts were going to get to investigate before they opened back up. They told us that they were going to do that,” he said.
A medical examiner determined that Rodriguez Zavala suffered "multiple blunt impact injuries," as well as that his death was an accident. Further, an incident report obtained by News 6 states Rodriguez Zavala had a “preexisting spinal injury,” though it’s unclear whether that contributed.
“And I get it, they keep saying over and over again ‘but there were no malfunctions.’ That doesn’t mean that there were no safety issues,” Crump said.
[WATCH BELOW: What we know about Stardust Racers and how its restraints work]
When Stardust Racers reopened on Saturday, the safety and accessibility guides for Epic Universe and its sister Central Florida theme parks were updated. Prior to the death, the Epic Universe safety guide for Stardust Racers said it is “not for guests with back, neck or similar physical conditions.” That still exists in the updated guide.
News 6 asked Crump whether Rodriguez Zavala had “back, neck or similar physical conditions.” Crump vehemently said, “No.”
“The fact that people are asking that and knowing that he was in a wheelchair that means that that was so vague that it was not a clear warning,” Attorney Natalie Jackson said. “... He did not have any ongoing pain or anything like that. He had had a life-long spinal disorder, disease and disorder, that was lifelong that he lived with. So there was nothing about being able to walk. There was nothing about being in a wheelchair.”
Crump reiterated that Rodriguez Zavala had done “absolutely nothing wrong” and that he had trusted Universal Orlando to make sure he was safe on the ride.
“When Kevin was provided a transfer seat by Universal employees and allowed on the Stardust Racers roller coaster, Kevin believed he was safe. He believed that because of Universal’s actions they were telling him he was safe,” he said.
[WATCH BELOW: Ben Crump questions safety measures after complaints of Stardust Racers coaster]
Epic Universe 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.
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.