ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The death of a 32-year-old man after riding a high-speed roller coaster at a Universal Studios theme park was accidental and an investigation has been closed, a sheriff’s office in Florida said Friday.
Security video showed Kevin Rodriguez Zavala “engaged and well” at the start of the ride but unresponsive and slouched over in his seat at the end, according to the report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando.
Zavala had severe facial trauma when the ride stopped. He was still secured in his ride seat by a lap bar, which ride operators had difficulty releasing for 10 minutes, Universal paramedic Sebastian Torres told sheriff’s office investigators.
“’The guest was stuck on the ride vehicle face down, falling out of his seat, with legs inverted,’” Torres wrote in a statement included in the report.
Zavala’s girlfriend, who was on the ride with him, told paramedics that Zavala used a wheelchair. Zavala had a spinal disability from birth, but his family’s attorneys have said his disability didn’t cause his death on Sept. 17.
The medical examiner for the Orlando area ruled the death an accident after performing an autopsy, saying Zavala died of blunt-impact injuries.
The media office for attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Zavala’s family, didn’t return an emailed inquiry about the sheriff’s office report on Friday.
The dual-launch coaster reaches speeds up to 62 mph (100 kph) and debuted officially in May when Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park opened to the public.
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