ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) – The Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced two calls Friday after a man died after riding a roller coaster in an epic universe.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found to not respond after riding a Stardust Racer roller coaster on Wednesday. He was taken to the hospital where he died.
The Sheriff’s Office said it had not received a 911 call for the incident. Deputies said they believe the call was not being made because participants at the theme park are not allowed to make calls on certain rides.
A man lamenting his family who died after riding a coaster in an epic universe
The Sheriff’s Office has released radio traffic for a one-time non-emergency call self-initiation call from Orange County Deputies and Orange County Firefighters.
On the phone, the first responder is heard talking about a man on a Stardust Racer coaster.
On the first call, you can hear the first responder tell the operator that the CPR is in progress. They later asked for sheets and tapes for crime scenes.
“That’s because they’re advised not to look good,” the first responder told the operator. Soon afterwards, they told the operator that they were taking a man later identified as Zavala to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando Health as a trauma alert.
An Orange County medical inspector later ruled the death as an accident. Zavala was said to have died from multiple blunt impact injuries.
Incident reports obtained by NBC affiliate WESH showed that Zavala had an existing spinal injury. According to the news station, Zavala is a wheelchair user and his family is remembered as a beloved brother, son, uncle and friend.
A statement from a universal representative stated:
“We are working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office after a tragic event involving guests from the Epic Universe on Wednesday night. Guests have been on a Stardust Racer and then stopped responding after being taken to the hospital where the guest died.
