A Georgia mother has sued Universal Orlando Resort, claiming the Stardust Racers coaster at Epic Universe left her 9-year-old son with permanent injuries after he lost consciousness mid-ride and his head and face slammed against the vehicle's hard surfaces. Jennifer Lundy, of Valdosta, Georgia, says her son rode the coaster with his father on October 13, 2025, and has since undergone physical therapy just to relearn how to walk.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Lundy filed suit in Orange County Circuit Court on August 17, 2026, naming both Universal Orlando Resort and German ride manufacturer Mack Rides as defendants; the case was transferred to federal court in September. The suit claims her son suffered head, neck, spinal and neurological injuries, now suffers chronic back pain, and has been unable to physically attend school. Lundy is seeking more than $75,000 in damages to cover past and continued medical treatment, per the same report.
At the center of her argument is the coaster's restraint system. Lundy contends that the lap bar alone does not adequately protect a rider's upper body once that rider loses consciousness, according to the Sentinel's account of her complaint. Stardust Racers relies solely on a lap bar, without the shoulder harnesses or head immobilizers found on some other high-speed coasters, a design detail also noted in coverage of the ride's engineering by Ultimate Rollercoaster. The dual-launch attraction, built by Mack Rides, uses linear synchronous motor launches to accelerate riders up to 62 mph at heights reaching 133 feet, and includes a patented element called the Celestial Spin, in which the two tracks cross and invert around each other while trains run side-by-side at high speed.
Universal's Response and the Family's Account
Universal has pushed back, arguing in court filings that Lundy knowingly and voluntarily assumed the risks of her son riding a thrill attraction. The company also alleged she was negligent in failing to use reasonable care for her son's safety, failed to ensure he followed posted warnings and instructions, and that pre-existing or unrelated medical conditions may have caused all or part of his injuries, the Sentinel reports.
The family's attorney, Nicholas Spetsas, disputes that characterization. He said the boy had no pre-existing medical conditions, met the ride's height requirements, sat where attendants instructed him to sit, and, in his words, did everything right. A Universal spokesperson declined to comment on the pending litigation, per the Sentinel.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Claims
Spetsas told the Sentinel he represents at least five people who have sued Universal over Stardust Racers injuries, and that some of those cases have already been resolved, leaving him optimistic about similar outcomes in his four other ongoing cases. That pattern is echoed in a broader wave of litigation detailed by Consumer Rights Law, which reports that five additional lawsuits were filed against Universal and Mack Rides in December 2025, alleging the ride's restraints caused traumatic brain injuries, brain bleeds, strokes and paralysis among guests who rode between May and August 2025. Plaintiffs in those cases allege the restraint system lacks adequate upper-body and head support, letting riders' heads and necks be violently shaken during the coaster's most extreme elements.
One earlier case settled quickly: WDW News Today reported that 49-year-old Sandi Streets sued Universal in September 2025 after claiming the lack of head restraints caused her head to slam violently against the headrest during an April 2025 preview ride, seeking more than $50,000 before reaching a confidential settlement with the company within days.
A Fatal Ride and a Settlement
Hoodline previously reported on a death on the ride: 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who used a wheelchair and had a spinal condition since birth, was fatally injured on Stardust Racers on September 17, 2025, after being flung forward during the ride. The Orange-Osceola Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death an accident caused by multiple blunt impact injuries. An autopsy detailed by Inside the Magic found he suffered a deep forehead gash, orbital and thigh fractures, and skull bleeding; his family reached an amicable settlement with Universal in December 2025. Family attorney Ben Crump argued at the time that the injuries showed the coaster's restraint design posed systemic risks, according to the same report.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office investigated Zavala's death under Florida manslaughter statutes before concluding there was no criminal negligence on Universal's part, per Inside the Magic. Universal shut Stardust Racers down the day of the death and reopened it on October 4, 2025, after updating procedures and signage reinforcing existing physical eligibility warnings; the company did not add new physical safety features to the ride.
Why Florida's Biggest Parks Police Themselves
Much of this litigation unfolds against a regulatory backdrop in which Universal effectively inspects its own rides. Under Section 616.242 of Florida Statutes, theme parks with more than 1,000 employees and full-time inspectors on staff, including Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World, are exempt from state safety inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, according to a report from Medium. That means major parks conduct their own internal inspections and are only legally required to report severe guest injuries or fatalities to state regulators.
Florida lawmakers tightened some amusement ride rules with the Tyre Sampson Act in May 2023, passed after a fatal 2022 drop-tower accident in Orlando, mandating more frequent inspections, maintenance recordkeeping and employee training. But per WUSF, that law focused primarily on non-exempt rides and smaller attractions outside the state's largest resorts, leaving the self-inspection framework for parks like Universal largely intact. Universal Epic Universe, where Stardust Racers serves as the flagship thrill ride in the Celestial Park area, officially opened to the public on May 22, 2025, as the resort's fourth theme park.
