A 32-year-old man died After riding a high-speed roller coaster The accident at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park was accidental and the investigation has been concluded, according to a report released this week by the Florida Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, a forensic report released Friday showed Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala suffered a deep gash on the left side of his forehead and a fractured ridge above his eye. The medical examiner’s report said he suffered bleeding from the top of his skull, bruises on his abdomen and arms, and a broken nose and right thigh bone.
Orlando’s medical examiner previously ruled Zavala’s death an accident, saying Zavala died of blunt force trauma. An investigative report by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando said Epic Universe staff followed procedures and showed no carelessness or negligence.
Epic Universe is the newest theme park at Universal Orlando Resort.
According to the Sheriff’s Office report, security video showed Zavala “engaged and in good shape” at the beginning of the ride but unresponsive and slouched in his seat at the end.
When the car stopped, Zavala’s face was bleeding and his body slumped to the ground, according to witnesses.
When the coaster returned to the boarding platform, Zavala slumped to the ground and was covered in blood, said Anna Marshall, a doctor who was in line to board the ride. She told investigators his arm was hanging off the ride and his thigh bone was broken in half and resting on the back of the ride chair.
Zavala uses a wheelchair. Zavala’s girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, who was with him when Marshall rendered aid, told doctors he had metal rods inserted into his back from previous spinal surgery.
“Dr. Marshall explained that she did not believe that just because Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala was not using his legs, that was the only reason this occurred,” the report states.
Zavala’s family said the condition that disabled him, which they called spinal atrophy, did not cause his death on Sept. 17. The media office of Ben Crump, the attorney representing Zavala’s family, did not respond Friday to an email inquiry about the Sheriff’s Office report.
When the ride came to a stop, Zavala suffered serious facial injuries. Universal Paramedic Sebastian Torres told Sheriff’s Office investigators that he remained restrained in his safety seat and that the ride operator had difficulty releasing the safety lever for 10 minutes.
“‘The guest was trapped face down on the ride, falling out of his seat and with his legs upside down,'” Torres wrote in a statement included in the report.
Cruz-Robles told investigators that when they first got on the ride, the ride operator had to push Zavala’s knee restraint down several times to get it into position safely and she believed the restraint bar was too low on their thighs. When the coaster began its first downward motion, Zavala flew forward and hit his head on a restraint bar, she said. Zavala hit his head multiple times during the ride, and Cruz-Robles said she tried but couldn’t stop him.
The report said: “Javiriz was shouting for help, but because she was traveling, no one heard her cry for help until the train approached the station.”
The Sheriff’s Office report states that warning signs were posted at the entrance to the ride, informing patrons of sudden drops and accelerations. Signs read that guests with certain conditions should not ride the rides, including “back, neck or similar medical conditions,” or those that have had recent surgery or may be aggravated by riding the rides.
Zavala’s parents told investigators that their son had previously suffered a broken femur that required surgery in 2020 and a dislocated hip that required surgery in 2010.
The dual-start coaster reaches speeds of up to 62 mph (100 km/h) and will make its official debut in May when Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park opens to the public.