Man in his 30s dies after becoming unresponsive while climbing sidewalks in epic Orlando, Florida, September: FOX 35 Orlando
The death of Kvin Rodriiniquez-Zavala has been ruled accidental, and the investigation is closed, according to an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Zavalo was riding a high-speed roller coaster at Orlando’s high-rise universal essay theme park when he was found unresponsive. The Sheriff’s Office said Shecuriff’s Fook indicated that Zavala was ‘participating and well’ at the beginning of the ride, but became cautious when the coaster went back to loading/reloading.
Stardrust Racers, part of Universal Orlando’s New Theme Park, Universe Worder, is a coaster that reaches speeds of up to 62 mph. Universal Orlando says the roller coaster reaches a height of 133 meters.
Person who died after unresponsive Universal Roller Coaster lacerations: First responders
Visitors ride Racist Racers, the new Twin toaster during the epic world tour day on April 5, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
An employee who spoke with the Sheriff’s Office said Zavala had a ‘very sad face.’ In addition, a witness quoted in the report on the incident told the Sheriff’s office that Zavala was ‘dissolved with blood from his head.’ His left leg was at a 90-degree angle between the Lap bar. “
Anna Marshall, a medical doctor, was waiting to board the Stardist Racers when she heard someone yell “get me out!” He thought it was someone who had trouble breathing from the ride, according to the report.
The incident report says the marshals knew the staff was a medical doctor and could help in the situation. Marshall told authorities that when they saw Zavala they were “absolutely covered in blood all over him.” He told investigators that at the time they noticed that Zavala’s bone was completely broken in half and resting on the back of the passenger seat.
Javili of Cruz-Robles, Zavala’s girlfriend, was also on the ride and told investigators that the crew focused on Zavala’s Lap Bar several times before the ride began. However, he thought it was still too low.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died after falling unconscious on the stardist rollercoaster ride at the Universal epic on September 17, 2025. (Gofundme)
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Cruz-Robles spoke to Marshall as the doctor tried to administer aid to Zavala. Marshall recalled Cruz-Robles repeating “his mother is going to kill me,” referring to the conversation about Zavala walking the streets.
Zavala was wheelchair-bound and had several medical challenges, according to his parents, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Anne Zavala. Because of these constraints, they were worried about their son going on a certain ride.
Kevin was born with spinal cord atrophy and has had surgeries throughout his life. They also said that Kevin previously sprained his femur in 2020, which also required surgery. Kevin also suffered from HIP which required surgery in 2010. Carlos told the investigators that Kevin’s mother always told him not to ride in grief but he never listened.
Attorney Benjamin Crump shows a photo of the Stardist Racers Epiversal Roaster during a press conference with the family of Kevin Zavala in Downtown Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, 2025. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel / Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Lawyers say roller coaster has pattern of safety failures before rider’s death: ‘not an isolated incident’
The family said Zavala’s death was not an isolated incident, but rather part of a pattern.
CAPRIENDE women’s rights attorney BEN CRUMP, who represented Zavala’s family, said at an October news conference that the safety procedures they had in place were last-minute plans “and marked the history of the ride revealing” a horrifying timeline. “
Universal’s records, obtained through WOFL, show the theme park has had two injury records since opening. The first occurred on June 22, when a 63-year-old man reported dizziness and an altered state of consciousness, which in a theme park was put in a pre-existing condition. The second incident occurred two days later when a 47-year-old woman reported visual disturbances and paralysis. The theme park stated that this is in a preexisting condition.
In September, the Sepinith Nine Evilier Examiner’s office determined that the cause of death had to be “multiple hidden associations and Zavala’s autopsy,” the Zavala County Sheriff’s office noted in its incident report.
Stardust Racers is one of the newest theme parks. This photo was taken at the Helios Grand Hotel in Orlando, Florida, on April 4, 2025. (Pilar Arias / Fox News Digital / Fox News)
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The Sheriff’s Office determined that the workers of the large creation ‘followed their effective work procedures and did not act in a careless or careless manner. “
“Based on the credibility of the circumstances, after looking at the known, available evidence, affidavits, medical office observations, findings of the district office, this case was assigned accordingly,” said the Sheriff’s office in this report.
Fox Business has reached out to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Universal Orlando for comment.
FOX News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
