ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Multiple people have reached out with related stories to the family of a 32-year-old man who died of blunt force injuries two weeks ago while riding the new Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe theme park, the attorney for the man’s family said Tuesday.
People who’ve contacted the family and Ben Crump’s law office since Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died Sept. 17 while riding the roller coaster include a woman who says she lost consciousness and suffered neck and spine injuries shortly after the ride opened in May, Crump said during a news conference in Orlando.
The woman reached out to Zavala’s family on a GoFundMe page and told them about her experience on the roller coaster.
“All we want is answers regarding my son’s death,” Zavala’s mother, Ana Zavala, said through an interpreter at Tuesday’s news conference. “We want these answers so we can honor him. We want these answers so we can have some peace. It is extremely difficult losing a son and we do not wish this pain on anyone.”
The dual-launch coaster reaches speeds up to 62 mph (100 kph) and officially debuted in May when Universal Orlando Resort opened its newest theme park.
A spokeswoman for Universal didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry on Tuesday. Separately, a central Florida woman sued Universal last week saying she had suffered injuries while on the roller coaster, claiming her head shook violently during the ride.
Crump questioned what Universal did after receiving reports from the woman and others who said they were injured on the ride.
“She told them that you all need to do something about this because someone is going to be seriously injured, or worse, they’re going to be killed,” Crump stated, calling for greater government oversight for large corporations.
The medical examiner ruled the cause of Zavala’s death was multiple blunt impact injuries and classified it as an accident. Universal’s internal findings claim ride systems functioned normally, while state investigators concurred with the assessment.
Since the park’s opening, there have been three reports of incidents on rides, including one involving a 63-year-old man who experienced dizziness, raising questions about ride safety.
“We believe there were warning signs that there was something wrong with the design of this ride,” Crump emphasized.
His family is now seeking testimonies from anyone who experienced similar issues or witnessed the incident to assist with their case against Universal.
