Family reaches resolution with Universal over coaster death
The family of the person who died after riding Universal Orlando's Stardust Racers roller coaster has "reached an amicable resolution" with Universal, their attorney said.
The attorney representing the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, Ben Crump, released a statement today: "The family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala and Universal have reached an amicable resolution in this matter. The terms are confidential. The family is grateful for the community’s support and asks for privacy at this time."
The Zavala family had retained Crump following the September incident which claimed Kevin's life. A final report from the Orange County Sheriff's office found no criminal acts in Zavala's death, which occurred after the 32-year-old wheelchair user repeatedly contacted the seat in front of him on the coaster, causing fatal blunt force injuries. The report also notes a broken femur.
Stardust Racers uses a lapbar restraint system. Lapbars require enough leg mass and strength to hold the body in place during a ride, which is one of the reasons why roller coasters have height requirements as well as other body-related boarding restrictions.
Universal closed Stardust Racers after the incident. The Epic Universe ride remained closed until October 4 while Universal, Mack Rides, Orange County and Florida and independent examiners inspected the ride and investigated the incident. None found fault with the ride or Universal's actions.
Replies (4)
So. . . what's to stop this kind of thing from happening again?
I’m glad the family have had a resolution relatively quickly, but obviously it would have been better if it didn’t happen at all.
But there are still more questions than answers.
As I suspected, the accident report seems to confirm this was entirely due to preexisting conditions of Zavala being exacerbated by the ride, and there was nothing wrong with the design, operation, or procedures in place by Universal that knowingly contributed to the accident. That doesn't make it any less tragic, but it hopefully reduces the likelihood of any modifications that could significantly impact the ride experience as it's not an event that could easily reoccur. I suspect as soon as the official report came out, a settlement was reached for whatever was on the table rather than continuing to fight and likely walking away with nothing.
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I am confused - How can a coaster workers measure height requirements as well as other body-related boarding restriction if he was in a wheel chair?
I understand this sounds like he went unconscious and got beat up by the ride....