ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump held a press conference Monday morning to respond to the reopening of a ride at Epic Universe after a man’s death last month.
Crump was joined by the family of Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, who lost consciousness and later died after riding the Stardust Racers rollercoaster on Sept. 17. The ride was temporarily closed, but reopened last weekend.
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The Orange County medical examiner said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries and ruled it an accidental death. Zavala was a wheelchair user who lived with a lifelong spinal cord injury, but his family said he loved theme parks and went on rollercoasters often.
Both of Zavala’s parents spoke at the conference, expressing frustration with the park for reopening the ride so soon after their son’s death. His father, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz, wrote a statement that was read aloud by his daughter-in-law.
Universal Orlando to reopen Stardust Racers attraction after rider’s death
“He placed his trust in Universal and its employees not to let him board a ride if it was dangerous for him,” the statement said. “He believed he was safe, because Universal’s actions told him that he was safe.”…