Epic Universe ride opens weeks after guest’s death
SEE YOU AND BREAKING NEWS AT TEN ONLY CHOPPER TWO IS OVERHEAD AS THE FIRST GUESTS RIDE STARDUST RACERS IN NEARLY THREE WEEKS. THE RIDE REOPENING JUST AFTER 630 THIS EVENING. AND OF COURSE, IT COMES AFTER A GUEST DIED AFTER RIDING THE COASTER. KEVIN RODRIGUEZ ZAVALA DYING OF MULTIPLE BLUNT IMPACT INJURIES, ACCORDING TO THE MEDICAL EXAMINER. SINCE THEN, UNIVERSAL HAS BEEN TESTING THE RIDE AND INVESTIGATING HOW THIS ALL HAPPENED. WESH TWO WAS THE VERY FIRST TO ALERT YOU THAT THE RIDE WAS REOPENING YESTERDAY, AND TONIGHT WE’RE BRINGING YOU TEAM COVERAGE, PARKS EXPERT CHRISTINA WATKINS IS WALKING US THROUGH NEW SAFETY AND ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES ROLLED OUT BY UNIVERSAL. BUT FIRST WE START WITH DAVID JONES, WHO IS LIVE OUTSIDE OF EPIC UNIVERSE TONIGHT. AND DAVID, YOU TALKED TO SOME GUESTS WHO MADE IT ONTO THAT RIDE, BUT ITS REOPENING IS NOT WITHOUT SOME CONTROVERSY. TONIGHT. LUANA THE REOPENING IS NOT WITHOUT SOME CONTROVERSY. IT ACTUALLY WAS OBJECTED TO BY BOTH ZAVALA’S FAMILY AND THEIR ATTORNEY, WHO HAD EXPRESSED SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE PRESERVATION OF EVIDENCE. STILL, THOUGH, THE RIDE REOPENED, EPIC UNIVERSE JUST CLOSED MINUTES AGO HERE AT UNIVERSAL EPIC UNIVERSE AGAIN, RIDERS SHOWING A LOT OF EAGERNESS TO GET BACK ON STARDUST RACERS. THEY PACKED INTO THIS RIDE, WHICH IS OPENED FOR ABOUT FOUR HOURS THIS EVENING. CHOPPER TWO WITH THESE EXCLUSIVE VIEWS OF THE MOMENT, STARDUST RACERS REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AFTER A RIDER’S DEATH. THE COASTER WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO OPEN BACK UP IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON, BUT OPEN JUST AFTER 6 P.M. A LINE IMMEDIATELY FORMED WITH EAGER PARK VISITORS WANTING ON. WE ARE PLANNING ON GOING ON IT. WE’RE GOING TO COME HERE ON MONDAY AGAIN, AND THAT’S PROBABLY GOING TO BE OUR FIRST FIRST STOP. LUKE JENKINS DID NOT GO ON THE RIDE, BUT DESCRIBED THE MOMENT IT OPENED BACK UP. I GET TO GO ON IT. WE WERE SITTING THERE EATING WHEN THEY SAID THAT THEY ACTUALLY OPENED IT UP, AND WE SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE GET UP AND START RUNNING TOWARDS IT, BUT WITHIN LIKE FIVE MINUTES OF IT OPENING, IT WAS LIKE 150 MINUTES. SO WE DECIDED THAT WASN’T ENOUGH TIME REALLY TO TO DO IT. PROBABLY ONE OF THE FASTEST, ONE OF ONES I’VE BEEN ON SO FAR. THIS PARK GUESTS DID GO ON THE RIDE AFTER IT OPENED. I MEAN, I KNOW THEY ADDED A LOT MORE REQUIREMENTS. REQUIREMENTS? YEAH, TO GET ON IT. 32 YEAR OLD KEVIN RODRIGUEZ ZAVALA DIED AFTER A RIDE ON THE COASTER. HE USED A WHEELCHAIR AND HAD A PREEXISTING SPINAL INJURY. UNIVERSAL ORLANDO’S PRESIDENT SAYS OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS, WHILE IT WAS CLOSED, STARDUST RACERS HAS UNDERGONE A REVIEW BY THEIR OWN INSPECTORS, STATE INSPECTORS, THE MANUFACTURER AND A THIRD PARTY ENGINEER. THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A HICCUP, BUT THEY SEEMED TO FIX IT. ONE OF THE. CHAIRS WASN’T LOCKING CORRECTLY, SO THEY ENDED UP JUST SHUTTING DOWN THE BACK, BUT THEY LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE DOING THEIR BEST TO FIX IT, AND THEN THEY ENDED UP JUST CLOSING IT ANYWAY. SO RIDES CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. UNIVERSAL ORLANDO’S PRESIDENT EXPRESSED SYMPATHIES FOR ZAVALA’S FAMILY AND LOVED ONES, AND SAID OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN UPDATED AND SO HAS SIGNAGE TO REINFORCE RIDER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS. AND LUANA. WE ARE EXPECTING TO HEAR MORE FROM ZAVALA FAMILY ATTORNEY BEN CRUMP ABOUT HIS OBJECTIONS TO HOW UNIVERSAL ORLANDO HANDLED THIS REOPENING, COVERING ORANGE COUNTY, LIV AT EPIC UNIVERSE. DAVID JONES WESH TWO NEWS. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, DAVID. AND OF COURSE, WE’RE GOING TO BRING YOU THAT NEWS CONFERENCE LIVE. WHEN IT HAPPENS TOMORROW. AND WE ALSO HEARD FROM KEVIN’S PARENTS JUST YESTERDAY IN THEIR OWN STATEMENT, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ ORTIZ AND ANNA ZAVALA SAID IN PART BY RUSHING TO REOPEN THIS RIDE, UNIVERSAL IS SHOWING GREAT DISREGARD FOR KEVIN’S LIFE, OUR FAMILY’S PAIN AND THE
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Universal Orlando’s Stardust Racers roller coaster reopened to the public just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, just two and a half weeks after the death of a rider, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala.Exclusive video taken by Hearst sister station WESH shows guests quickly forming outside the Epic Universe ride. Guests are seen riding the dueling coasters into the night. “We are planning on going on it. We’re going to come here on Monday again and that’s probably going to be our first stop,” said Luke Jenkins, who witnessed the reopening but chose not to ride due to the long wait time.”We were sitting there eating when they said it actually opened up and we saw a lot of people get up and start running towards it. But within like five minutes of it opening, it was like 150 minutes. We decided that wasn’t enough time to do it,” Jenkins said.A park guest who did go on the ride described it as “probably one of the fastest ones I’ve been on so far.””I know they added a lot more requirements, yeah, to get on it,” the guest said. Universal Orlando’s president, Karen Irwin, stated that Stardust Racers underwent a comprehensive review by their own inspectors, state inspectors, the manufacturer, and a third-party engineer during its closure.”There was a little bit of a hiccup, but they seemed to fix it. One of the chairs wasn’t locking correctly, so they ended up shutting down the back,” a park visitor said. “They looked like they were doing their best to fix it, then they ended up just closing it anyway.” News of the reopening came after Irwin told staff that the park plans to reopen the ride on Saturday afternoon.This all comes nearly three weeks after Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after riding the Epic Universe coaster. Universal Orlando’s president expressed sympathy for Rodriguez Zavala’s family and loved ones, noting that operational procedures have been updated and signage has been reinforced to emphasize rider physical eligibility requirements.Rides continued throughout the night.
Universal Orlando’s Stardust Racers roller coaster reopened to the public just after 6 p.m. on Saturday, just two and a half weeks after the death of a rider, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala.
Exclusive video taken by Hearst sister station WESH shows guests quickly forming outside the Epic Universe ride. Guests are seen riding the dueling coasters into the night.
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“We are planning on going on it. We’re going to come here on Monday again and that’s probably going to be our first stop,” said Luke Jenkins, who witnessed the reopening but chose not to ride due to the long wait time.
“We were sitting there eating when they said it actually opened up and we saw a lot of people get up and start running towards it. But within like five minutes of it opening, it was like 150 minutes. We decided that wasn’t enough time to do it,” Jenkins said.
A park guest who did go on the ride described it as “probably one of the fastest ones I’ve been on so far.”
“I know they added a lot more requirements, yeah, to get on it,” the guest said.
Universal Orlando’s president, Karen Irwin, stated that Stardust Racers underwent a comprehensive review by their own inspectors, state inspectors, the manufacturer, and a third-party engineer during its closure.
“There was a little bit of a hiccup, but they seemed to fix it. One of the chairs wasn’t locking correctly, so they ended up shutting down the back,” a park visitor said. “They looked like they were doing their best to fix it, then they ended up just closing it anyway.”
News of the reopening came after Irwin told staff that the park plans to reopen the ride on Saturday afternoon.
This all comes nearly three weeks after Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after riding the Epic Universe coaster.
Universal Orlando’s president expressed sympathy for Rodriguez Zavala’s family and loved ones, noting that operational procedures have been updated and signage has been reinforced to emphasize rider physical eligibility requirements.
Rides continued throughout the night.
