On June 12, 2025, a tragic fatality happened at Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe.Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, age 32, died on the “Stardust Racers” coaster at Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe. That single death has turned into a messy fight over ride safety, design and who’s to blame. The family hired civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and said they will bring in multiple expert witnesses – people who know about ride design, building safety, making stuff and running the ride.
The ride is a dual‑launch coaster that can reach about 62 mph (100 kph). It throws riders forward fast and then drops them down hard. Witnesses and the family say Zavala “smacked his head on a restraint during the drops and was unconscious most of the ride” (Associated Press, 2025). The story has made two sides fight: Universal says the coaster worked fine, but the family’s lawyers say a bad restraint, not a medical problem, caused the death.
Kevin lived with a spinal disability that needed a wheelchair, yet he tried to be as independent as possible. He drove his own car, cooked his meals, and talked with gamers all over the world. At work he was an employment counselor for people with disabilities, helping them find and keep jobs – a job that showed his love of empowerment. His parents tell the press that his disability never changed how they treated him. They stress his own drive and his choice to live on his own terms (Associated Press, 2025).
On the day it happened, Zavala – born with a spinal disability and using a wheelchair – got on the dual launch coaster. The coaster spikes to about 62 mph (100 kph) and throws riders into fast downward pushes. He died soon after. The medical examiner called the death “multiple blunt impact injuries” and said it was an accident.
Zavala’s lawyers say his disability “did not cause his death” and that he had “no medical issues before getting on the ride.” They push back on a senior Universal statement that “internal findings” showed the ride worked fine.
“They are quick to say, ‘Well, the ride worked as it should.’ But just because it didn’t break doesn’t mean there weren’t safety problems,” said Ben Crump.
Zavala’s kin have hired many experts to study every part of the coaster – the restraint shape, the emergency plan, everything. They want a full, independent investigation, not just the park’s paperwork or the state check. They also want the ride to stay closed until someone can prove the restraint actually caused the fatal hit. Their lawyers say that being open helps the family find answers and protects other riders, especially those with special health needs.
The clash over Kevin Rodriguez Zavala’s death shows a bigger issue for theme parks: the gap between company claims that all tech works right and the real world of riders who have different bodies. While Universal says Stardust Racers did exactly what it was built to do, the family’s lawyers, with expert help, argue that a safety fault in the restraint led to a deadly head impact. How this disagreement settles could change more than one coaster – it might push new rules for restraint shape, for how parks study accidents, and for how they treat guests with disabilities.
Associated Press. (2025). Report on Kevin Rodriguez Zavala death at Universal Orlando Resort.
https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/epic-universe
https://witnessdirectory.com/signup.php
