'Blunt impact' killed rider on Stardust Racers roller coaster

What a tragedy. Hope the family and loved ones who were also at Epic that day are doing okay.

Been on this ride ~20 times (both tracks). It's intense but it's no Velocicoaster.

I sincerely believe it's likely to be an undiagnosed pre existing condition.

I saw this story and obviously it's not the rides fault.

We never know when, when is...

I remember this happened years ago on a Disney ride.

I think it was on Big Thumber - I have to be careful what I say about Disney - you know, I don't want to get censored or anything....

"Dr. Joshua Stephany, the chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola Counties, said the cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries. He said the death was accidental."

Not sure what this implies for the future of the ride or the park, but it's a tragedy all around.

Absolutely stunned by the news about the cause of death. That should keep this ride closed for an extended period until investigators can determine exactly what hit the man, or what the man hit on the ride.

He likely passed out while on the ride, and the injuries were caused by a limp and unconscious body

Even with OTSR's, if you pass out, you're going to give your head possible fatal blows??

I dont see anyway you can prevent this, if, a rider loses consciousness while riding.

Sure, some and/or most will survive, but sadly in this case it wasn't to be.

I don't see Stardust being down too long, especially as the report called it accidental.

'Accident' simply implies no intentional foul play. It does not absolve liability for failure to prevent the accident. I can't imagine a legal team would sign off on reopening until they are convinced that such an accident could not happen again.

Agreed Robert, but isn't that likely to open up a whole can of worms in repect to any coaster?

VC has similar restraints .. who's to say someone passing out on there, wouldn't die from being tossed around like a rag doll if they become unconscious?

Every roller coaster has the capability of killing someone by blunt force trauma, if that rider passes out. Imagine passing out on, let's say, Fury on the drop ... by the time you get back to the station your neck will most probably be broken?? ... just saying.

Mako: "I don't see Stardust being down too long."

Me: So you believe individual regulators consultants, engineers and medical experts giving a green light to re-open the attraction?

The assumptions above are that he passed out and then experienced blunt head trauma. However, if hitting his head CAUSED him to pass out then it would alter things significantly. I would assume there are cameras trained on each seat for every inch of the ride and they will be able to make that determination. If not, it could be a lengthy closure.

Anyone who says that it's going to be open again soon is just coping. It's gonna be a while, and by the looks of it, a PR nightmare for Universal.

Interesting details being spread online that the victim may have been a wheelchair user. If so, I am reminded of the Darien Lake case from 2011: https://www.themeparkinsider.com/news/response.cfm?ID=945508227

Such a tragedy. A witness in line describes seeing a "large piece of metal" hanging from the seat (source: WFTV, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT2zfMGgjuU). Unclear if something else hit the seat to cause the metal to dislodge or if something else happened.

It's always a tragedy when something like this happens. I'm not going to speculate on reasons, but I'd guess something happened to cause the rider to lose consciousness early on in the ride, then the application of forces in a manner different than intended likely caused blunt impact trauma to the head that ultimately lead to him passing away. It doesn't sound like there was any problem with the ride, and given only a single rider was affected, it's probably more of a freak accident resulting from a unique set of circumstances rather than something at high risk of happening again. In that case, if it's ruled that nothing about the attraction is a safety concern, it probably will reopen relatively soon and without much modification except enhanced safety warnings.

That said, if there are any documented incidents of other riders experiencing symptoms that could lead to a similar incident (such as blackouts or unconsciousness), it's very possible that modifications may be mandated before the ride is able to reopen even if it's technically still considered safe. The restraint system on a roller coaster is designed to keep the passenger in the vehicle, and while stress related injuries are to be expected from someone who is in an improper riding position, it shouldn't be possible for a rider to impact any part of the vehicle with sufficient force to result in permanent injury or death. Depending on how things played out, I could see anything from changing the padding used on the seats to adding some sort of vest restraint to keep the rider upright as a required modification prior to reopening the ride. Whether this would affect other Mack coasters (or other coasters with just an overhead lapbar) is very difficult to say without more information regarding exactly what occurred.

@TH .... What AJ said.

It could be as simple as some clown snuck a Phone in and was using it on the ride, when said clown lost grip and the phone hit the man in the head at 60 MPH..

Just a Guess but we can all see that happening.

I searched the Web and he was a wheelchair bound man. So that will change some things health wise.

Brian, Universal Orlando is extremely strict regarding loose articles and have mandatory metal detectors on their more intense rides like this one and Velocicoaster. There is no way an iPhone could have been snuck on.

If you're curious why they're so strict, look up the incidents at Dueling Dragons.

Thanks HHN Fan - But I said Phone not Iphone (Not that it matters- there are many phone bands.)

You think the crackerjack staff catches all things that are banned from a coaster?

And Yes I remember someone lost an Eye on the Dragon challenge ride- They thought it might have been keys of something that got loose. Heck get hit in the eye with a dime at 60 MPH and you can lose an eye.

But if he were wheelchair bound he could have easily have a clot = passed out - then got beat up by the ride..

So many questions....

Here's a thought ... and yes I know it's a different manufacturer. But, if the restraints were deemed to be at fault for the death of the rider, do you not think
Velocicoaster would be shut down as well? Or at the very least, Voltron at Europa Park

@AJ - You write "I'm not going to speculate on reasons, but I'd guess ...:

Seriously?

For what it's worth, while in line we witnessed the ride stop at the second launch because someone was recording with their phone. They had about 4 additoinal staff members with security at the platform after the confiscated it and the train returned with sid passenger. Not sure if he was ejected from the park or not.

Man... this came out of nowhere. what confuses me is the fact that velocicoaster has been around for years without issue, and yet around 5 months after opening there is already a fatal accident. And another thing, didn't a witness say there was a large piece of metal in the seat? This just doesn't add up, although if he was a wheelchair user, he could just be in the wrong place at the worst time. truly horrible accident... and with all the other things going on... sheesh.

Update on this story...

The victim apparently was indeed a wheel chair user and had a spinal cord injury. Per WFTV, "The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has released the incident report ...[which stated the victim] had a spinal injury that required him to be in a wheelchair".

And per the safety rules of Stardust Racers:

"RIDER REQUIREMENTS You should be able to independently: (1) maintain an upright position, (2) support your torso, neck, and head while absorbing sudden and dramatic movements, and (3) brace your body with at least one natural upper extremity" (p.17)

This sounds like a case where an individual rode when they shouldn't have....

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/incident-report-dispatch-audio-released-epic-universe-roller-coaster-riders-death/4TZ7IDSINJBILORVGUG3ICCTTQ/

https://www.universalorlando.com/webdata/k2/en/us/files/Documents/epic-universe-guide-for-safety-and-accessibility.pdf

WFTV is now reporting that Kevin had some sort of laceration and that the doctor who was on site took off his own shirt and used it as a tourniquet. And there's still talk about a piece of metal hanging off the coaster car.

So, It could've been related to an existing health condition ... or it could've been something else.

I am so confused - They said he died due to blunt impact trauma so why did they neglect to say he had a large hole oops laceration on him also???

No matter what happens there will be a law suit so maybe that's why this info is coming on slowly and or messy?

@Emery: I for one am not surprised that you (in particular) are confused.

Whilst speculating on limited information and assumption keeps the thread going we must all wait and see what the results of the official investigation yields.

@TH Creative - How dare you? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA