Man's death on roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort ruled
accidental
[December 13, 2025]
By MIKE SCHNEIDER
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The death of a 32-year-old man after riding a
high-speed roller coaster at the Universal Epic Universe theme park was
accidental, and an investigation has been closed, according to a Florida
sheriff's office report released this week.
Meanwhile, a medical examiner's report released Friday showed that the
left side of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala's forehead had a deep gash, and the
bony ridge above his eye was fractured. He had bleeding above his skull,
bruises on his abdomen and arms, and his nose and right thigh bone were
fractured, the medical examiner's report said.
The medical examiner in Orlando previously had ruled the death an
accident, saying Zavala died of blunt-impact injuries. The investigative
report by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando said that
workers at Epic Universe followed procedures and weren't careless or
neglectful.
Epic Universe is the newest theme park at Universal Orlando Resort.
Security video showed Zavala “engaged and well” at the start of the ride
but unresponsive and slouched over in his seat at the end, according to
the sheriff's office report.
When the ride came to a stop, Zavala was bleeding from the face, and his
body was slumped over, according to witnesses.
Anna Marshall, a medical doctor who was standing in line to board the
ride, said Zavala was slouched over and surrounded by blood when the
coaster returned to the boarding platform. His arm was hanging over the
ride, and his thigh bone was broken in half and resting on the back of
the ride chair, she told investigators.
Zavala used a wheelchair. As Marshall rendered aid, Zavala's girlfriend,
Javiliz Cruz-Robles, who was beside him on the ride, told the doctor
that he had metal rods in his back from a previous spinal surgery.
“Dr. Marshall explained that she did not believe that just because Kevin
Rodriguez-Zavala didn’t have use of his legs that that was the sole
reason why this occurred,” the report said.
Zavala's family said the condition leading to his disability, which they
described as spinal cord atrophy, didn’t cause his death on Sept. 17.
The media office for attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Zavala’s
family, didn’t return an emailed inquiry about the sheriff’s office
report on Friday.
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 Zavala had severe facial trauma when
the ride stopped. He was still secured in his ride seat by a lap
bar, which ride operators had difficulty releasing for 10 minutes,
Universal paramedic Sebastian Torres told sheriff's office
investigators.
“'The guest was stuck on the ride vehicle face down, falling out of
his seat, with legs inverted,'” Torres wrote in a statement included
in the report.
Cruz-Robles told investigators that a ride operator had to push
Zavala's lap restraint down several times before it was safely in
place when they first got on the ride, and she thought the restraint
bar was positioned too low on their laps. When the coaster began the
first downward movement, she said Zavala flew forward and hit his
head on the metal bar in front of them. During the ride Zavala hit
his head several times more, and Cruz-Robles said she tried but was
unable to hold him back.
“Javiliz was crying for help, but due to being in the middle of the
ride, no one heard her screaming for help until the train cart was
getting close to the station,” the report said.
The sheriff's office report noted there were warning signs posted at
the ride's entrance telling patrons about sudden drops and
accelerations. The signs said guests shouldn't go on the ride with
certain conditions, including “back, neck or similar physical
conditions," or if they've had recent surgeries or conditions that
could be aggravated by the ride.
Zavala's parents told investigators that their son had previously
fractured a thigh bone that required surgery in 2020 and had a hip
dislocation that required surgery in 2010.
The dual-launch coaster reaches speeds up to 62 mph (100 kph) and
debuted officially in May when Universal Orlando Resort’s newest
theme park opened to the public.
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