The parents of a man who died after riding a roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe last month are blasting the park’s decision to reopen the attraction less than three weeks after his tragic death.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, became unresponsive while riding Stardust Racers, a dual-launch, high-speed coaster at Universal Orlando Resort’s new theme park, on Sept. 17, officials said. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Officials later said he died of blunt force injuries and ruled the manner of death an accident.
On Friday, Universal Orlando Resort President and COO Karen Irwin said a recently completed “comprehensive technical and operational review” found no issues with the roller coaster, either in the boarding process or during the ride.
Findings of the internal review, which was conducted closely with local and state officials, were validated by the ride manufacturer and an independent, third-party roller coaster engineering expert, Irwin said.
That meant the park was prepared to reopen the ride Saturday afternoon, she added.
News of the reopening was denounced by the victim’s parents, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Ana Zavala, as reckless and insensitive.
“By rushing to reopen this ride as if nothing happened, Universal is showing great disregard for Kevin’s life, our family’s pain and the safety of every rider who steps onto that coaster,” the family said, according to the local NBC affiliate WESH. “We are horrified that Universal would put the ride back into operation so quickly.”
Earlier this week, the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, said at a press conference that other alleged victims have reached out to them to report similar incidents.
Those accounts, which include allegations of people being thrown forward into hard structures while on Stardust Racers, confirmed that the tragedy was “not an isolated incident” and could’ve been prevented, Crump said.
When addressing Friday’s reopening announcement, Crump reiterated his concerns about Universal putting the ride back into operation.
“Reopening the ride before our experts can examine every component is unadulterated spoliation of evidence, a grave risk to public safety and puts profit over people’s lives,” he said, according to WESH.
