ORANGE CO., Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) ruled the death of a man found unresponsive on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal's Epic Universe has been ruled an accident.
Deputies said they closed the case into 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala's September death, saying no criminal acts occurred.
Zavala was found unresponsive after riding the coaster at Epic Universe on Sept. 17 and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, per officials.
According to the final report, Zavala's girlfriend told authorities on the first drop he "partially came up out of his seat and hit his head on the metal bar in front of them," and he "continually hit his head on the bar in front of them as the ride descended."
Read the full report here:
Stardust Racers Final Report by Tampa Bay 28
The official investigation report from deputies said, "Based upon the totality of the circumstances, with consideration of known, available evidence, to include sworn statements, video surveillance, the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office findings, the standard operating procedures provided by Epic Universe, this case was deemed an accidental death and was closed accordingly."
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