Overview
- At a Tuesday news conference, Ben Crump said multiple riders and witnesses have reported similar injuries on Stardust Racers, asserting the fatal Sept. 17 incident involving Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was not an isolated case.
- Stardust Racers remains closed while the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, state regulators and Universal continue reviews; the medical examiner ruled Zavala’s death an accident caused by multiple blunt impact injuries.
- Universal has said preliminary checks found the ride functioned as intended and procedures were followed, a view Florida agriculture officials said their initial findings aligned with, which the family disputes.
- Crump’s team says Universal has agreed to schedule an independent inspection by the family’s investigators but has not provided requested surveillance video from the ride.
- A separate negligence lawsuit by Sandi Streets alleging head and neck injuries from an April preview ride was settled and voluntarily dismissed days after filing, as social media photos of boom lifts and lights near the coaster fueled unconfirmed speculation about safety-related modifications.