Universal Orlando roller coaster death investigation closed by sheriff

The loss of life of 32-year-old Kevin Rodriquez-Zavala was dominated an accident and the investigation is closed, in line with an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Zavala was driving a high-speed curler coaster at Common Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park when he was discovered unconscious. The sheriff’s workplace mentioned safety footage confirmed Zavala was “engaged and nicely” at first of the experience, however unresponsive when the coaster returned to the loading/unloading dock.

Stardust Racers, a part of Common Orlando’s latest theme park, Epic Universe, is a dual-launch curler coaster that reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour. Common Orlando says the curler coaster will attain a top of as much as 130 ft.

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Company experience Stardust Racers, a brand new twin coaster throughout a preview day for Common Epic Universe on April 5, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune Information Service/Getty Photographs)

An worker who spoke with the sheriff’s workplace mentioned Zavala had “extreme facial trauma.” As well as, a witness quoted within the incident report advised the sheriff’s workplace that Zavala “was slumped over with blood pouring from his head. His left leg was at a 90-degree angle between the hip brace.”

Anna Marshall, a health care provider, was ready to board Stardust Racers when she heard somebody shout, “Get me out!” In response to the report, she assumed it was somebody who was having problem respiration on account of the experience.

The incident report states that Marshall knowledgeable employees that she was a health care provider and will assist with the state of affairs. Marshall advised authorities she noticed Zavala “fully slumped over with blood throughout him.” She advised investigators that on the time she observed that Zavala’s femur was fully damaged in half and resting on the again of the driving seat.

Javiliz Cruz-Robles, Zavala’s girlfriend, was additionally driving and advised investigators that staff pressed Zavala’s lap bar a number of occasions earlier than the experience started. Nevertheless, she nonetheless thought it was too low.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died after changing into unresponsive on the Stardust Racers curler coaster at Common Epic Universe on September 17, 2025. (GoFundMe)

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Cruz-Robles spoke with Marshall because the physician tried to assist Zavala. Marshall recalled Cruz-Robles repeating “his mom goes to kill me,” referring to a dialog about Zavala occurring rides.

Zavala was wheelchair-bound and had a number of medical issues, in line with his dad and mom, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Anne Zavala. Due to these points, they have been involved about their son taking sure rides.

Kevin was born with spinal twine atrophy and had undergone surgical procedures all through his life. In addition they mentioned Kevin beforehand broke his femur in 2020, which additionally required surgical procedure. Kevin additionally suffered a hip dislocation that required surgical procedure in 2010. Carlos advised investigators that Kevin’s mom at all times advised him to not experience curler coasters, however he by no means listened.

Lawyer Benjamin Crump exhibits a photograph of the Stardust Racers Epic Universe curler coaster throughout a press convention with Kevin Zavala’s household in downtown Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune Information Service through Getty Photographs/Getty Photographs)

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Legal professionals say curler coaster had sample of security failures earlier than rider’s loss of life: ‘NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT’

The household had claimed that Zavala’s loss of life was not an remoted incident, however quite a part of a clump.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who represented Zavala’s household, mentioned at an October information convention that the security methods on Stardust Racers have been “insufficient” and famous that the experience historical past presents an “alarming timeline.”

Common’s knowledge, that was obtained by WOFLit turned out that the theme park recorded two accidents since its opening. The primary occurred on June 22, when a 63-year-old man reported dizziness and an altered state of consciousness, which the theme park attributed to a pre-existing situation. The second incident occurred two days later when a 47-year-old girl reported visible disturbance and numbness. The theme park additionally attributed this to a pre-existing situation.

In September, the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Workplace decided after Zavala’s post-mortem that his reason for loss of life was “a number of blunt affect accidents and the way of loss of life an accident,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace famous in its incident report.

Stardust Racers is one among Common Parks’ latest thrill rides. This photograph was taken on April 4, 2025 from the Common Helios Grand Lodge in Orlando, Florida. (Pilar Arias/Fox Information Digital / Fox Information)

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The sheriff’s workplace decided that Epic Universe staff “adopted their Requirements Working Procedures and didn’t act in a careless or negligent method.”

“Based mostly on the totality of the circumstances, considering identified, out there proof, together with affidavits, video surveillance, the findings of the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Workplace, and Epic Universe normal working procedures, this case was decided to be an unintentional loss of life and was closed accordingly,” the sheriff’s workplace wrote within the report.

Fox Enterprise reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Workplace and Common Orlando for remark.

Alexandra Koch of Fox Information Digital contributed to this report.