A man who died while on a Florida roller coaster in September flew forward and struck his head on a seat multiple times, his girlfriend told investigators, according to a sheriff’s report released Thursday.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in the report that the death of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, who the medical examiner ruled died of multiple blunt injuries, was deemed accidental in nature.
Rodriguez Zavala was unresponsive after going on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s recently opened Universal Epic Universe in Orlando on Sept. 17, officials said at the time.
Rodriguez Zavala used a wheelchair because of a pre-existing spinal condition, and his girlfriend and a ride employee said that his ride restraint had been pushed down several times to lock it in place, the sheriff’s report says.
The girlfriend, who was with him on the ride, said that it took two to three attempts to get the restraint to secure, according to the report.
She “stated she believed he was secured in, however when the ride began the first downhill Kevin flew forward striking his head.
The woman stated she saw “Kevin hit his head multiple times,” the report says. She “attempted to hold him back but couldn’t do so.”
The sheriff’s report in its conclusion said that based on all the evidence and park procedures “this case was deemed an accidental death and was closed accordingly.”
Rodriguez Zavala's parents have said they are heartbroken by his death. His father, Carlos Ortiz, and the family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump, have said that employee had to press down the restraint four times before the ride was started.
“He trusted its employees and the safety bar that was supposed to protect him,” his father, Carlos Ortiz, said in a statement read by his daughter-in-law, Veronica Palazzo, in October.
Epic Universe opened in May. It is the newest Universal Orlando theme park. The company did not immediately respond to a requests for comment.
Universal Orlando and NBC News share the same parent company, NBCUniversal.
Crump’s office also did not immediately return a request for comment about Thursday’s sheriff’s office report.
