Attorney Ben Crump, representing the family of a man who died after riding Stardust Racers at Universal Epic Universe, condemned the ride’s reopening during a press conference.
Ben Crump Condemns Reopening of Stardust Racers
Before the press conference on Monday morning, Crump shared this statement:
Stardust Racers is evidence in an active death investigation. 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. Universal reportedly told employees the ride functioned as intended. If that is accurate, then the design itself is deadly. We are demanding that Universal pause the reopening, preserve all evidence, and allow our experts to inspect it. If they refuse, we will address Universal’s callous actions in court.
Crump represents the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. On the evening of September 17, 32-year-old Zavala passed away from “multiple blunt impact injuries” after riding Stardust Racers. The roller-coaster was closed for the next few weeks.
Zavala’s parents, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Ana Zavala, said in a statement:
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. We are horrified that Universal would put the ride back into operation so quickly.
In a message to team members, Universal said their own investigation found Stardust Racers “functioned as intended” and “equipment was intact at the ride’s start, throughout the duration of the ride and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures.” They reopened Stardust Racers on October 4.
Crump reiterated their feelings about the reopening at the press conference. He quoted Universal’s statement that “Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do,” saying the “words wring hollow.” He criticized Universal reopening the ride without giving answers to Zavala’s family or allowing Crump’s team of experts to inspect the coaster.
According to Crump, Zavala’s family found out about the ride’s reopening at the same time as the general public. He said the family is left wondering, “Are they putting profit over people?”
Zavala was born with spinal cord atrophy and used a wheelchair but Crump said he “understood everything about his limitations.” He had ridden roller-coasters over 100 times before, read the instructions at Epic Universe, and did not ride roller-coasters that had restrictions applying to him. Crump said, “Trusting Universal was the only thing he did wrong.”
Zavala’s sister-in-law read a statement by his father, who said Universal provided Kevin with a wheelchair transfer seat and he was assisted by team members, who took four tries to get his seat secured.
With the reopening of Stardust Racers, Universal introduced an updated Guide for Safety and Accessibility that now states “Guests using mobility devices must be able to walk independently” to ride Stardust Racers, Dragon Racer’s Rally, and Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment at Epic Universe. Attraction signage has similarly been updated.
Crump addressed this change of policy, saying it “is like giving a death row pardon 10 minutes too late.” He questioned why they didn’t “arrive at the conclusion that this ride was not safe for disabled people that were bound to a wheelchair until after Kevin was dead?”
Crump is a famous civil rights lawyer who has also represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, as well as the family of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson, who passed away after riding an attraction at ICON Park in 2022.
Crump and Zavala’s family previously held a press conference on September 30 claiming multiple other Stardust Racers riders had shared stories of injuries on the ride. Crump’s team is communicating with state and local officials about creating greater government oversight for companies like Universal who self-report injuries.
Late in September, 49-year-old Sandi Streets sued Universal over injuries allegedly sustained on Stardust Racers prior to Zavala’s death. Universal settled with Streets in just a few days.
Orange County officials are investigating the incident under Florida’s manslaughter statute.
Stardust Racers is a steel dual launched roller coaster manufactured by Mack Rides. It has two 5,000 foot tracks that each reach a height of 133 ft and a maximum speed of 62 mph. The height requirement to ride is 48″. After weeks of previews, it officially opened on May 22, 2025, with the rest of Epic Universe.
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