Britt Jones
The girlfriend of a man who unfortunately passed away after riding a Universal Orlando theme park roller coaster, has spoken out on the harrowing moment in newly released body camera footage.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was visiting the Epic Universe park in Orlando, Florida on September 17 last year, alongside his partner, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, when tragedy struck.
The pair, who were riding the Stardust Racers coaster, initially began the ride like everyone else after being tucked in by members of staff.
However, as they began to dip and weave on the track, Kevin suddenly wasn’t supported in his seat, leading him to suffer multiple blunt force trauma to his head, and pass away after being taken to the local hospital.
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He was described in a GoFundMe as an 'old soul—wise beyond his years—with a heart full of compassion, love, and understanding' and 'the kind of person who always made time to listen, offer thoughtful advice, and lift others up'.
According to Javiliz, the seat belt that was holding him in, looked ‘tight’, but Kevin’s health condition meant he was unable to support the lower half of his body.
A new video showing the moment officers from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) arrived to take a statement from Javiliz has been released and obtained by outlets such as Fox 35 and WKMG.
In it, the blurred face of Javiliz can be seen emotionally recounting her and Kevin’s ordeal on the coaster.
She said in the clip: “We went on the ride. He was too low, he doesn’t have any support on his leg.”
According to a police department report, Kevin’s parents had revealed that Kevin was diagnosed with spinal cord atrophy and was a wheelchair user because of the condition that causes the degeneration of spinal cord volume, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
While Javiliz can be seen on camera telling cops that the staff pushed on his restraints a number of times to ensure he was secured, and that she even thought it was too tight across their laps, per The Guardian.
However, at the first drop, Kevin hit his head on the metal bar and continued to hit his head as they kept dropping on the track, as he was lifted upwards.
“I tried — I saw him on the first drop. I saw him hit his head. I tried to hold him; I couldn’t hold him. Another one, he hit his head... He just went up and hit... It looked like [the restraint] was tight, but it wasn’t because he didn’t have support on his neck,” she told officers, adding that Kevin suffered a number of injuries which she tried to prevent mid-ride.
She said: “He kept hitting his head, I tried to hold him so he doesn’t hit his head anymore.”
Sadly, she recalled screaming for help, but as the pair were in the middle of the coaster, her cries were not heard.
The sheriff's report noted that a doctor claimed she had examined Kevin's 'lifeless’ body when the ride came to a stop, as she was waiting her turn.
The doctor, called Anna Marshall, alleged he was slouched over, his arm hanging off the side, and that his femur bone appeared broken in half and lying on the back of his seat.
An autopsy report later confirmed Kevin had passed away due to ‘multiple blunt impact injuries’, per chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties Joshua Stephany.
It was ruled an accident.
The OCSO went on to rule that the staff acted appropriately when checking Kevin’s restraints on the rise, and that ‘no criminal acts occurred’.
Kevin’s family hired attorney Ben Crump to investigate the case independently and settled with Universal Orlando outside of court, per the Tallahassee Democrat.
In a letter to staff obtained by Fox 35, the president of Universal Orlando Resort said in part: "Our comprehensive technical and operational review confirmed the ride systems functioned properly throughout the boarding process, the duration of the ride, and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures throughout
"Safety, as always, is our top priority. To further assist guests in determining whether they can or cannot ride an attraction, we are updating operational procedures and attraction signage to reinforce existing ride warnings and physical eligibility requirements at Stardust Racers and other rides."