The latest quarterly injury report from the Florida theme park noted that an autopsy found “multiple blunt force trauma” in the September death of Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala, who was found unconscious after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe.
Zabala’s incident is listed as a fatal accident involving a 32-year-old man, although details have not been released. This is one of seven injuries reported at Universal Orlando Park from July to September.
The state’s major theme parks are self-reporting visitors who are injured during attractions and end up hospitalized for at least 24 hours. The totals will be made public through an agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The report provides few details about the incident. The state has not received an update on the condition of the victim after the initial diagnosis, and the names of the injured have not been released.
Universal has four other coaster-related injuries listed, including two on the Incredible Hulk coaster at Islands of Adventure. On July 22, a 66-year-old man felt chest pain after riding the Hulk, and on August 20, a 56-year-old man felt a headache after riding the Hulk, according to the report.
On July 5, a 40-year-old woman experienced an “altered level of consciousness” after riding Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Bike Adventure Coaster at IOA. On August 24, a 32-year-old woman complained of neck pain and motion sickness while riding the Universal Studios coaster “Revenge of the Mummy.”
On September 29, a 78-year-old woman experienced dizziness after riding the Hogwarts Express, a train-themed attraction that connects both sides of the IOA and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios.
A 38-year-old woman felt pain in her neck after riding the Krakatoa Aqua Coaster at Volcano Bay Waterpark on August 4th.
Stardust Racers and other Epic Universe attractions had no reports other than Zavala’s death in recent quarters, but the coaster recorded two such deaths in June. Epic Universe opened to the public in late May.
Universal executives said an internal investigation found that Stardust Racers functioned properly and that employees followed procedures correctly. State officials observed the tests, and the ride manufacturer and third-party roller coaster engineering experts verified the results, according to a company memo. Operations resumed on October 4th.
At Walt Disney World, two incidents were reported at Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. On July 29, a 56-year-old woman was struck in the head by another visitor in the wave pool, and on August 12, a 44-year-old visitor fell and hit her head while disembarking from the Miss Adventure Falls raft ride.
On September 1, a 50-year-old man felt chest pains after exiting the Toy Story Mania animation simulator ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Then, on September 24, a 77-year-old woman fell and injured her ankle while exiting Navi River Journey, a flat, dark water attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
A report was filed by SeaWorld Orlando on July 14 stating that a 22-year-old man with “reported pre-existing medical conditions” became ill after riding the Kraken roller coaster, which has no floor.
No injuries were reported at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Legoland Florida, or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay during the event.
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