A tragic event unfolded at Universal's Epic Universe theme park when a guest, later identified as 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, became unresponsive following a ride on the Stardust Racers roller coaster and subsequently died. The Orange County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt impact injuries and ruled the death an accident, as FOX 35 Orlando reported.
The incident prompted the closure of the ride as Universal collaborates with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing investigation. "Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night. The guest became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers and was transported to the hospital, where the guest later died," Universal expressed in a statement detailed by FOX 35 Orlando. The attraction remains closed in the aftermath of the occurrence.
This serious incident is not the first report of health-related events linked to the same attraction. Records indicate that in June, a 63-year-old man became dizzy and a 47-year-old woman experienced numbness, with both guests having preexisting conditions, according to a Universal report. This draws attention to the fact that larger theme parks like Universal’s are not subject to the same state inspections as smaller establishments, relying instead on self-reporting and internal inspections, as noted by WFTV.
