The attorney representing the family of a man who died after riding a roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park is asking for transparency as a legal team works to understand the cause of his death.
On Sept. 17, 32-year-old Kevin Rodríguez Zavala rode the park’s Stardust Racers roller coaster and later was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Orange County medical examiner found the cause of death blunt force injuries and ruled his death as accidental.
Zavala had a pre-existing spinal condition, used a wheelchair and took medication.
However, the attorney representing the family – prominent civil rights lawyer Ben Crump – said Zavala enjoyed theme parks and that his disability did not prevent him from other roller coasters.
“It would be an outrageous thing to suggest that his disability was what caused him to be killed on their ride, "Crump said. “It would be an insult to disabled Americans, disabled human beings all over the world.”
Crump cast doubts on the safety of the roller coaster and called for the release of maintenance logs and video of the ride, along with other investigative documents.
While Florida has laws and regulations for safety inspections of rides, large theme parks like Universal conduct their own inspections.
Universal Orlando Resort did not immediately respond to a request for comment after Crump’s remarks Wednesday. Earlier, the park said internal findings show the ride functioned property, and a state agency review agreed.
“Universal Studios, all of these things should be a wakeup call,” Crump said. “Anybody who you invite in the public to ride those roller coasters should have complete confidence that they are not going to die on your roller coaster.”
The rollercoaster remains closed to the public.
