A 49-year-old Sanford woman is suing the company that owns Epic Universe, claiming she suffers from permanent injuries after riding the new Stardust Racers roller coaster last April.
It’s the same ride that 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala rode shortly before he died on Sept. 17.
In her lawsuit, Sandi Streets said her head “shook violently and slammed into her seat’s headrest” for the entire duration of the two-minute ride, which includes more than a dozen twists, drops and turns and speeds of nearly 65 mph.
Streets is seeking damages of more than $50,000. Universal Orlando declined to comment.
Streets’ lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, the same day attorney Ben Crump and his legal team held a press conference in downtown Orlando to demand that Stardust Racers stay closed until an investigation is completed on how Zavala lost consciousness while riding the roller coaster and later died.
According to Crump, witnesses saw Zavala’s head slam repeatedly on a metal bar during the ride. The Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Zavala’s death as accidental and the result of blunt force trauma.
Streets’ attorney, Nicholas Spetsas, said riders on Stardust Racers are only strapped in with a lap restraint, similar to a car’s seatbelt, and nothing else.
“That’s extremely dangerous when you’re traveling at high speed,” he said. “If you got into a car wreck and you didn’t have a shoulder restraint, the insurance company would have a big issue.”
On Stardust Racers, however, “there were no shoulder restraints,” he said. “Your neck and torso are not restrained.”
Spetsas pointed out the roller coaster rises to 133 feet, then dips, flips and turns sharply. It quickly accelerates along a track nearly a mile long.
Spetsas added the “ultimate goal” of Streets’ lawsuit is to make “the ride safer for everyone.” He said the theme park should have warned riders of the “unreasonable, dangerous” conditions.
“A lot of people will say: ‘There are warning signs,’” he said. “But you can’t just put up warning signs and then call it a day.”
Although the Epic Universe and Stardust Racers ride opened to the public on May 22, Streets, an annual passholder, was able to check it out on April 30.
As a roller coaster enthusiast, she spent the day enjoying several of the other rides before getting on Stardust Racers last.
After finishing the ride, Streets began suffering severe headaches and a sore neck from possible whiplash, Spetsas said. At first, she attributed it to dehydration and exhaustion.
“The headaches persisted days later,” he said.
She filed the lawsuit after the pain would not subside and sought medical treatment. Spetsas said. He could not provide additional information because of federal privacy laws regarding medical claims.
Zavala, who was in a wheelchair due to a lifelong spinal condition, also was a theme park enthusiast who relished riding roller coasters. He had gone to Epic Universe last week with his girlfriend and was thrilled about trying out Stardust Racers.
Ride attendants used a transfer seat to help Zavala onto the ride, Crump said his team discovered in their investigation.
When the ride finished, Zavala was found slumped over and unresponsive. He was rushed to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Universal officials said an internal review found the ride “functioned as intended” and staff members correctly followed procedures.
State investigators reached the same preliminary conclusions, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the agency that generally regulates theme park rides.
Investigations are still being conducted of Zavala’s death by that state agency and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The ride has since remained closed, with no date on its reopening.
A funeral service for Zavala will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at the Funeraria San Juan Funeral Home in Kissimmee.
