A 32-year-old man’s death from injuries he suffered on Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers roller coaster will spark an intensive investigation examining everything from the attraction’s restraints to training protocols, safety experts said Friday.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala of Kissimmee died of “multiple blunt impact injuries,” according to the Orange County Medical Examiner. His death has been ruled an accident, but what went wrong at Universal Orlando Resort’s newest park remains a mystery.
In the coming weeks, the ride — which has since been closed — is going to be meticulously inspected by Universal, law enforcement and the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said attorney Kimberly Wald, who has litigated amusement ride deaths.
“When something of this magnitude happens, especially that it was relatively new, they are going to look at the way it was designed, the way it was built and the actual assembly,” said Wald, whose firm represented the family of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson after he fell to his death from the Orlando FreeFall drop tower in 2022. “Should there have been a better shoulder harness? Where did the blunt force trauma occur?”
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died from multiple blunt impact injuries while riding the Stardust Racers thrill ride at Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (GoFundMe page)
Experts cautioned that it’s still too early to know what happened on the Stardust Racers. Zavala, who was found unresponsive Wednesday, used a wheelchair, according to photos on a GoFundMe account.
“If the ride is not designed to have a handicapped rider, and you start manipulating it, then it’s a problem,” Wald said. “But every step needs to be examined, from soup to nuts. … It’s a public safety concern.”
Theme park deaths are extraordinarily rare, but when they happen, they typically involve a mechanical mishap, a design flaw, or a rider-induced issue, such as standing up or disregarding safety instructions, said Dennis Speigel, owner of International Theme Park Services, a consulting firm that advises attractions on design planning and operations.
“Overall, bottom line, it will be a transparent, open investigation,” he said. “The facts will be known. Universal will handle this at the highest level of integrity in our industry.”
Stardust Racers, which opened with the rest of the new theme park in May, is a dual-launch, “dueling” coaster with side-by-side tracks that reaches a top speed of 62 mph and a height of 133 feet, according to Universal. The most prominent feature is the patented “celestial spin,” where the tracks twist around each other in a barrel roll.
Riders are restrained only at the lap by a solid bar that lowers from overhead, without any shoulder constraints.
Universal will likely bring in third-party engineers and review the ride’s design, speed, restraints and training protocols for ride attendants and other staff, said Brian Avery, a University of Florida professor and expert on ride safety.
Guests take a ride on the Stardust Racers twin coaster at night at Epic Universe on April 21, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/The Orlando Sentinel)
The park’s safety and accessibility guide states that Stardust Racers riders “should be able to independently: (1) maintain an upright position, (2) support your torso, neck, and head while absorbing sudden and dramatic movements, and (3) brace your body with at least one natural upper extremity.”
Design elements and safety measures should protect riders even if they pass out or suffer a medical episode on the ride, Avery said.
“If you lose the ability to maintain postural control because you have passed out, it needs to be accounted for,” he said. “It is understood people will pass out on these rides.”
Stardust Racers was manufactured by the German company Mack Rides.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident involving the ‘Stardust Racers’ attraction. … We are in close contact with the operator and the authorities and are actively supporting the investigation,” Maximilian Roeser, a company spokesman, said in a statement.
In Florida, the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service oversees amusement park rides, unless the theme park has more than 1,000 employees. In that case, the theme park would self-inspect with a requirement that it report any kind of injuries.
Since the ride opened to the public less than four months ago, Universal has reported two incidents on Stardust Racers.
On June 22, a 63-year-old man was reported to have suffered dizziness and “an altered state of consciousness” after the ride.
On June 24, a 47-year-old woman was reported to have experienced “visual disturbance” and “numbness” after getting off the ride.
A GoFundMe page has been set up in memory of 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who died from injuries sustained while riding the Stardust Racers thrill ride at Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe theme park. (GoFundMe)
As of noon Friday, the GoFundMe account for Zavala had reached more than $13,029 raised from 373 donations.
The family set up the account to help cover funeral and memorial expenses.
“Kevin was truly one of a kind,” according to the account. “He was an old soul — wise beyond his years — with a heart full of compassion, love and understanding. … Despite the restrictions and obstacles he encountered throughout his life, Kevin met them all with grace, strength and an unwavering spirit. He overcame so much.”
