A man died after riding an Epic Universe roller coaster, and autopsy results show he suffered severe injuries to his thigh bones, along with a pre-existing dislocation in the other leg. Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unresponsive following the Stardust Racers ride on September 17 and later died. He used a wheelchair due to spinal atrophy, a condition his family has noted.
Rodriguez Zavala’s girlfriend, who sat beside him, told investigators that after a ride attendant finally locked the lap bar in place (after four attempts to push it down), he did not appear to be in distress. During the descent from the first drop, she said he partially rose from his seat and repeatedly struck his head on a metal bar ahead of them. The medical examiner ruled the death accidental, caused by blunt impact injuries to the face and neck.
The autopsy found a fresh fracture of Rodriguez Zavala’s right femur with accompanying muscle lacerations and bleeding. A doctor who was about to board the ride reported that the right femur was effectively broken in two and resting against the back of the chair. The left femur, which had been surgically repaired after a prior fracture in 2021, remained dislocated. Investigators noted that the broken right femur likely contributed to the rider’s contact with the metal bar ahead of him, where his head was struck.
The report does not clarify how the right femur fractured. The decedent’s spinal cord condition from birth left him paralyzed, and the autopsy described his lower limbs as atrophic (thinned).
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who previously represented Rodriguez Zavala’s family, has argued against suggesting that pre-existing medical issues influenced the death, though he has not provided new public statements or filed litigation since October.
Universal Orlando Resort reopened the Stardust Racers coaster a little over two weeks after Rodriguez Zavala’s death, stating that a comprehensive technical and operational review confirmed the ride’s systems were functioning properly during boarding, the ride itself, and return to the station. The company asserted that staff adhered to procedures throughout the process.
If you’d like, I can add context on how spinal conditions can affect bone health, or provide a brief explainer of how autopsy findings are interpreted in ride-related incidents.
