Everything we know about 'tragic event' where man died on rollercoaster at Orlando's Universal theme park
Tragedy has struck one of Orlando's newest theme parks.
On September 17, 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala went on Epic Universe's Stardust Racers rollercoaster in Orlando, Florida, and was found to be unresponsive afterwards.
Zavala was then taken to hopsital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to report seen by USA Today, an Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a medical emergency at the theme park at around 9:20pm. No 911 calls were made, however.
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Zavala was said to have been found with a laceration and wasn't breathing when he was first attended to. Where the cut was hasn't been revealed.
Universal Orlando Health Services and Orange County Fire Rescue Department proceeded to perform CPR on Zavala before he was taken to hospital.
He was sadly declared dead at 10:05pm.
At the time, the park issued a statement saying: "Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night.
"The guest became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers and was transported to the hospital, where the guest later died. We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest's loved ones.
"We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation. The attraction remains closed."
In the wake of Zavala's untimely death, his family have acquired the services of civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
The family want 'full transparency' on what happened to Zavala, including 'maintenance logs, inspection records, ride data, and video footage', Fox 35 Orlando reports.
Crump said in a statement: "This tragic loss demands a thorough investigation and full transparency. A man died after boarding a ride that should have been safe.
"We will hold all responsible parties to account and fight to ensure Kevin’s family receives the answers and justice they deserve."
His family have also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral and memorial.
It describes him as 'an old soul—wise beyond his years—with a heart full of compassion, love, and understanding'.
Zavala's cause of death has been ruled as 'multiple blunt impact injuries' by a medical examiner. How he sustained his injuries is still being investigated.
Prior to going on the ride, Zavala was known to have had a pre-existing spinal injury and used a wheelchair.
On Sunday (September 21), Universal Orlando's president Karen Irwin told staff members in a letter that the ride was working properly at the time of the accident.
The letter read: "Our internal findings to date confirm that the ride systems functioned as intended, equipment was intact at the ride’s start, throughout the duration of the ride and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures."
Investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have also inspected the Stardust Racer rollercoaster, which hits speeds of up to 62 mph.
While the department is still looking into the case it did say that its findings 'align with those shared by Universal after monitoring the same tests and reviewing the same information'.
"The investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be released as it becomes available," it added, per ABC Philadelphia.
Niamh Shackleton