In a final report, new details have been revealed in the incident on Stardust Racers at Epic Universe, where a man was found unresponsive and later died.
As we previously reported, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was unconscious after riding Stardust Racers at Epic Universe on September 17. He passed away from “multiple blunt impact injuries,” said the medical examiner.
According to WESH 2 News, in a report released today, no criminal acts occurred in the death of 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala after he was found unconscious on the roller coaster at Epic Universe earlier this year.
Man hit head multiple times on the first hill of Stardust Racers, final death report says
The newly released final report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office details what deputies found after the incident.
According to the report, one deputy wrote, “I observed there to be a single Nike shoe on the ground as well as a significant amount of blood on the chair and the bar in front of the chair.”
In a sworn statement, one Epic Universe employee said he told operators to release Zavala from the lap bar so he could be removed from the seat and CPR could begin. Orange County Fire Rescue arrived as the operators were opening the restraint.
Another team member reported that Zavala suffered injuries to his face and had a “significant amount of blood loss.” Zavala’s girlfriend, who was seated next to him on Stardust Racers, also provided a sworn statement. She recounted: “Directly before the ride began, a universal ride employee pushed down on Zavala’s lap restraint multiple times.”
Zavala’s girlfriend said she remembers very little but recalled seeing Zavala’s head strike the seat repeatedly.
She told investigators that it took approximately 2–3 attempts to secure the safety bar around Zavala. She believed it had locked properly, but he was thrown forward on the first hill, hitting his head multiple times. She attempted to hold him back but was unable to.
The report states she was “crying for help, but due to being in the middle of the ride, no one heard her screaming for help until the train cart was getting close to the station.”
According to the report, Zavala appeared to have suffered “severe facial trauma,” with witnesses reporting a “significant amount of blood loss.”
Doctor waiting in line describes traumatic injuries in report
The just-released final report goes on to recount the statement from a doctor waiting in line to ride Stardust Racers.
The report reveals that the doctor described Zavala as “completely slouched over with blood surrounding him.”
The report continued, “She noted that he was completely unresponsive as his arm was hanging over the side. … she continued to try and see if she could feel a pulse, first on his arm and then on his neck, which she could not find one.”
“I couldn’t 100% be certain but I was relatively confident at that point that he was lifeless,” going on to say that Zavala’s femur was “completely broken in half and resting on the back of the chair.”
The doctor stated that “based on her observations, she felt the broken femur had a significant role in the fact that Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was able to reach the metal bar in front of him where he … struck his head.”