Karen Irwin, Universal Orlando’s president and COO, sent a memo to staff saying the ride’s systems “functioned as intended.”
Universal Orlando’s president and COO sent an emotional memo to staff over the weekend indicating that Universal Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers roller coaster’s ride system “functioned as intended” amid an investigation into a rider’s death on the new attraction.
After 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died Wednesday due to “multiple blunt impact injuries” after becoming unresponsive on the dual-launched, dueling-track roller coaster, resort boss Karen Irwin sent internal correspondence to team members confirming “that the ride systems functioned as intended, 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” during the incident.
Irwin told staffers that “few moments have been as difficult as this one” across her 35-year tenure with the company, and praised Universal team members for their “resilience, compassion and professionalism” during the incident and its resulting investigation.
“The attraction remains closed as we continue to work through a comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record,” Irwin said, referencing Mack, the German manufacturer that worked on Stardust Racers. “Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do.”
She finished by writing, “Thank you for living our values and the commitment you bring to our Guests and each other, especially in moments like this. Together we will continue to move forward with compassion, care and professionalism.”
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed the memo with Orlando Resort.
Last week, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office told EW that “off-duty deputies responded to a man down call at Epic Universe” on Wednesday, and eventually responded to the scene where a man “was found unresponsive after riding a roller coaster and was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.”
The victim was later identified as Zavala in a statement provided to EW by Joshua Stephany, Orange and Osceola County’s chief medical examiner. In Stephany’s statement, the cause of death was listed as “multiple blunt impact injuries” and that “the manner of death is accident.”
In a follow-up memo provided to EW by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, a spokesperson indicated that no 911 calls were received for the incident, as riders are not allowed to take cell phones to the ride’s platform or on the attraction itself.
They also provided EW with an initial police report and non-emergency radio and phone recordings from the day of the incident. In the report, Zavala’s girlfriend of 10 years told police that he had a pre-existing spinal condition and was on medication (the name of which is redacted in the report) at the time of riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster.
In the recordings, an individual can be heard telling another that Zavala had “lacerations” on his body upon returning to the ride’s station platform. CPR was then performed by multiple people inside the Stardust Racers station, before Zavala was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night,” the Universal Orlando Resort said Thursday in a statement to EW.
The resort added that its team is “devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,” and that staff is “fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation” while “the attraction remains closed.”
At Epic Universe on Friday, EW observed that Stardust Racers was closed throughout the day, and it appeared that the ride’s trains had been removed from both the yellow and green tracks amid the investigation.
Team members stood at the entrance during the day, with two signs nearby indicating that the ride would not open that day.
While deaths on roller coasters are rare, in the past, they’ve typically occurred with riders who have pre-existing medical conditions. In August, a man lost consciousness at Hong Kong Disneyland on the destination’s Frozen-themed boat attraction due to a pre-existing condition.
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Stardust Racers, one of the largest attractions at the Universal Orlando Resort, includes two side-by-side dueling tracks that travel along a high-speed course that features two launches — including one that boosts trains to 62 miles per hour — as well a 133-foot-tall maximum height and one inversion on both tracks.
