New details about the death of a 32-year-old man who passed away while riding a high-speed rollercoaster at a theme park in Florida have been shared.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was tragically pronounced dead on September 17 at the Universal Epic Universe theme park.
According to reports from the New York Post, a medical examiner’s report released Friday showed that the left side of Zavala’s forehead had a deep gash, and the bony ridge above his eye was fractured, and that he also had bleeding above his skull and bruises on his abdomen and arms.
The report also found that Zavala's nose and right thigh bone were fractured.
His death had previously been ruled an accident by the medical examiner in Orlando, saying he died of blunt-impact injuries.
The investigative report by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando stated that workers at Epic Universe had followed procedures and hadn't behaved in a careless or neglectful manner.
According to a Florida sheriff’s office report released this week, the investigation into Zavala's death has now been closed.
Per the outlet, security footage from Epic Universe, the newest theme park at Universal Orlando Resort, showed Zavala "engaged and well" at the start of the ride.
Tragically, by the time the ride finished, Zavala was slumped over in his seat and unresponsive, the sheriff's office report stated.
Witnesses said that when the ride came to a stop, Zavala was slumped over and bleeding from his face.
Anna Marshall, a medical doctor who was standing in line to board the ride, witnessed the ride returning to the boarding platform with Zavala's unresponsive body slumped over and covered in blood.
She told investigators that his arm was hanging over the ride, while his thigh bone was broken in half and resting on the back of the ride chair, per the New York Post.
Marshall administered aid to Zavala - who was a wheelchair user - as Zavala's girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, who was beside him on the ride, informed her that he had metal rods in his back from a previous spinal surgery.
The report stated: "Dr. Marshall explained that she did not believe that just because Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala didn’t have use of his legs that that was the sole reason why this occurred."
Zavala's family also said that the condition which led to his disability - a spinal cord atrophy - did not cause his death.
Universal paramedic Sebastian Torres told sheriff’s office investigators that Zavala had severe facial trauma when the ride stopped but was still secured into his seat by a lap bar, which ride operators had difficulty releasing for 10 minutes.
Torres said in a statement included in the report: "The guest was stuck on the ride vehicle face down, falling out of his seat, with legs inverted."
Cruz-Robles told investigators that a ride operator had to push Zavala’s lap restraint down several times before it was secured into place before the ride began, and noted that she believed the restraint bar had been positioned too low on their laps.
She said that Zavala flew forward and hit his head on the metal bar in front of them when the rollercoaster began its first downward movement, and ended up hitting his head several more times despite her trying her best to hold him back.
The report stated: "Javiliz was crying for help, but due to being in the middle of the ride, no one heard her screaming for help until the train cart was getting close to the station."
The report noted that warning signs posted at the ride’s entrance informed riders about sudden drops and accelerations and stated that they should not go on the ride if the had certain conditions such as "back, neck or similar physical conditions," or if they'd undergone recent surgeries that could be affected by the ride.
Zavala’s parents told investigators that their son had previously fractured a thigh bone, requiring surgery in 2020, and had surgery for a dislocated hip in 2010.
The dual-launch rollercoaster had officially opened in May Universal Orlando Resort’s newest theme park was opened, and reached top speeds of 62MPH.