Universal Orlando to reopen Stardust Racers attraction after rider's death
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Video above: Attorney Ben Crump calls for more government oversight after roller coaster death

ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — Universal Orlando announced plans Friday to reopen the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe, just over two weeks after a man was pronounced dead after riding it.

In a letter sent to Universal’s theme park workers, obtained by NBC affiliate WESH, President and Chief Operating Officer Karen Irwin said the ride systems were functioning correctly following “a comprehensive technical and operational review” conducted alongside state and local officials.

The letter also said the ride system’s manufacturer and an independent third-party roller coaster engineering expert conducted their own on-site testing.

“Safety, as always, is our top priority,” Irwin wrote in the letter. “To further assist guests in determining whether they can or cannot ride an attraction, we are updating operational procedures and attraction signage to reinforce existing ride warnings and physical eligibility requirements at Stardust Racers and other rides.”

Stardust Racers will reopen Saturday afternoon for the first time since the Sept. 17 incident claimed the life of 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, a wheelchair user with a known spinal injury. He was found unresponsive after riding the attraction and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A poster of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala held by his father (WFLA)

A medical examiner ruled the death an accident, citing multiple blunt force injuries as the cause of death.

In the following days, Zavala’s family retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who said multiple people reached out to his office to report sustaining injuries from the roller coaster.

“We believe there were warning signs that there was something wrong with the design of this ride and that they tried to blame the victims,” Crump said at a news conference.

Family members said that despite Rodriguez Zavala’s condition, which he has from birth, he lived a full life and rode roller coasters many times before his death. His family and their attorneys insists he had no medical emergency at the time he rode Stardust Racers.

“His disability did not kill him,” Natalie Jackson, co-director of litigation for Ben Crump Law, PLLC, said at a news conference last month.

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