The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has both identified the guest who died after riding Epic Universe roller coaster Stardust Racers as well as revealed the cause of death.
The guest who passed away was 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, Spectrum News 13 reports. The cause of death was ruled to be “multiple blunt impact injuries,” as reported by both WESH 2 and Spectrum News 13.
On Wednesday, Zavala became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The sheriff’s office stated, “On September 17, 2025, off duty deputies responded to a man down call at Epic Universe. A man in his 30s was found unresponsive after riding a roller coaster and was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. It’s very early in the investigation and we have no further information for release at this time.”
An autopsy was performed on Thursday morning, after which Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D. with Orange and Osceola counties, stated that the cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries.”
“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,” Universal stated in a statement that was sent through the Orange County Fire Rescue Department.
Epic Universe officials said, “We are devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guests’ loved ones.”
Universal also released this statement:
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.
The quarterly injuries report for Florida theme parks included two guests with undisclosed pre-existing conditions who felt sick after riding Stardust Racers.
Each side of the dual-launched roller coaster consists of 5,000 feet of track up to 133 feet tall. The top speed is 62 miles per hour.
After rumors that trim brakes were added to the rollercoaster during testing, Universal began warning guests that their shoes must be worn at all times. Stardust Racers is also adding modified seats to accommodate larger guests.
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