Epic Universe Guest Died of “Multiple Blunt Impact Injuries” After Riding Roller Coaster

A guest who died after riding one of Epic Universe’s roller coasters, Stardust Racers, has had his cause of death revealed and been identified by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. This covers the latest in this tragedy, along with a statement from Universal Orlando and details of the indefinite ride closure.

The guest who passed away was 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. On the evening of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Zavala became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

NBC Orlando’s WESH Chopper 2 was live on the scene at Epic Universe and captured video of a large law enforcement presence around Stardust Racers and Celestial Park. This included crime scene vans and a forensic team taking photos of the ride vehicle in the loading area.

In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shared the following:

“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.”

Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D. with Orange and Osceola counties stated that an autopsy was performed on Thursday morning and that Zavala’s cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries.”

The cause of death was determined to be accidental, as reported by two Central Florida news stations, WESH 2 and Spectrum News 13.

Universal Orlando issued the following statement via the Orange County Fire Rescue Department:

“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.”

Stardust Racers was closed for the entirety of Thursday, September 18, 2025. It is once again listed as “Closed Today” in the Universal Orlando app for Friday.

In a facilities report of the state’s theme parks for the second quarter (April through June), the Florida Department of Agriculture revealed that Universal Orlando had a total of seven reported incident, with two of them being on Stardust Racers. Per the report:

• 6/22/25 Stardust Racers, 63 yom, dizziness/altered state of consciousness (pre-existing condition)
• 6/24/25 Stardust Racers, 47 yof, visual disturbance/numbness (pre-existing condition)

Stardust Racers is a dual-launch racing coaster that sends guests rocketing through the skies aboard comets in a race to see who’s the fastest of them all. Reaching speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track, Stardust Racers is Epic Universe’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers such as the “Celestial Spin,” in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air, creating an otherworldly adrenaline rush.

In our Epic Universe Ride Reviews & Ratings, we gave Stardust Racers a perfect 10/10, with the following praise: “These playful coasters are full of surprises, with high-speed thrills offset by moments of levity and amazing interplay between the two tracks. There’s a ridiculous amount of airtime, and even though it’s intense, it’s never punishing.”

Stardust Racers is also one of the more reliable and high-capacity attractions in Epic Universe, owing in large part to it essentially being two rollercoasters on one load platform.

You might’ve noticed over the years that we typically avoid reporting on injuries, fatalities, or the theme parks’ crime beat.

This isn’t to avoid facing harsh realities in our ‘happy place,’ but rather, because our coverage leans heavily on editorializing as opposed to straight news. Even ‘just the facts’ reporting of such incidents is itself an editorial choice, as it lacks context and can be prone to sensationalize or fearmonger such occurrences or their prevalence.

Commentary and speculation are wholly inappropriate in such tragic circumstances. Conjecture about the death of a man, who had parents and loved ones, is not harmless nor is it helpful. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office and other associated entities will conduct an investigation, Universal Orlando will respond in kind, and so forth. We’ll know more details in due time.

We are simply keeping you apprised of this incident because this seems more newsworthy with the potential to affect guests with upcoming trips, and you might appreciate it being brought to your attention. Moreover, due to the likelihood of an extended closure for Stardust Racers and potential modifications that could be made to the attraction. I will again refrain from speculating as to how long or what changes, if any, could be made. In the meantime, our sincere sympathies go out to the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. May he rest in peace and his memory be a blessing.

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