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Published 16:07 01 Apr 2026 GMT
Girlfriend of wheelchair-bound man killed on Universal rollercoaster makes heartbreaking admission amid new bodycam footage
The girlfriend of a man who was killed on a rollercoaster has made a heartbreaking new admission.
The release of new bodycam footage from officers attending the scene reveals the efforts the late Kevin Rodriguez Zavala's girlfriend went to to save him.
Zavala, 32, was born with Spinal Cord Atrophy and, because of the condition, used a wheelchair. He was attending the Universal theme park in Orlando, Florida with his girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, when he was gravely injured on the Stardust Racers coasters.
He was taken to the hospital, where he died of his injuries.
What was in the new bodycam footage released?
In the newly-released footage from the bodycams at the scene, Zavala's girlfriend can be seen telling officers for the first time what happened on the fatal ride.
"We went on the ride," Cruz-Robles told first responders. "He was too low, he doesn’t have any support on his leg."
According to Cruz-Robles, theme park attendants pushed down on Zavala's lap restraint "three or four times" before the ride took off, but there was no support on his neck.
She continued: "I saw him on the first drop. I saw him hit his head. I tried to hold him; I couldn’t hold him. Another one, he hit his head...
"He kept hitting his head, I tried to hold him so he doesn’t hit his head anymore."
The truly heartbreaking admission from the footage is that Cruz-Robles was trying to call out to others for help, but since they were in the middle of a rollercoaster ride, no-one could hear her screams.
What happened to Kevin Rodriguez Zavala?
According to the Sheriff's report, Zavala's body was "bloodied" and slouched, hanging over his seat when the ride stopped.
A doctor was already at the scene ready to examine him, where she noted that his femur was seemingly broken in half and resting on the back of his seat.
Zavala died from his injuries after reaching the hospital. The autopsy report noted that his death was the result of "multiple blunt impact injuries," and the death was ultimately ruled as an accident.
Following the ruling, Zavala's family have retained an attorney, Ben Crump, to conduct an independent investigation into his death.
It was announced in December of last year that Zavala's family had "reached an amicable resolution" with Universal, but that the "the terms [of that resolution]" were confidential.