Law&Crime Sidebar - Bodycam: Florida Man Killed on Roller Coaster

Episode Date: April 1, 2026

Bodycam footage reveals the chaos as first responders swarm the "Stardust Racers" ride at Epic Universe after 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was gravely injured on the roller coaster. While the Orange County Sheriff's Office concluded the death was an accident, Kevin's family criticized the park for its safety procedures and quick reopening of the ride. Law&Crime’s Jesse Weber dig into the emergency response, the investigations, and the park's decision to update guidelines for guests using mobility devices on the Stardust Racers.HOST:Jesse Weber: https://twitter.com/jessecordweberLAW&CRIME SIDEBAR PRODUCTION:YouTube Management - Bobby SzokeVideo Editing - Michael Deininger, Christina O'Shea, Alex Ciccarone, & Jay CruzScript Writing & Producing - Savannah Williamson & Juliana BattagliaGuest Booking - Alyssa Fisher & Diane KayeSocial Media Management - Vanessa BeinSTAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LAW&CRIME NETWORK:Watch Law&Crime Network on YouTubeTV: https://bit.ly/3td2e3yWhere To Watch Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3akxLK5Sign Up For Law&Crime's Daily Newsletter: https://bit.ly/LawandCrimeNewsletterRead Fascinating Articles From Law&Crime Network: https://bit.ly/3td2IqoLAW&CRIME NETWORK SOCIAL MEDIA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawandcrimeTwitter: https://twitter.com/LawCrimeNetworkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lawandcrimeTwitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lawandcrimenetworkTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lawandcrimeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This call came out of it as he needs a band-aid and then escalated rapidly. Chaos at a Florida amusement park when a visitor is severely injured on a ride. We are completely closing off the area, so if you can help us make sure that there are no guests or team members of on startup. We are getting our first look at body camera footage of first responders swarming the platform of the Stardust Racers ride at Epic Universe in Orlando, trying to save a young man's life. They keep saying over and over again, but there were no mouth. functions. That doesn't mean that there were no safety issues. We are digging into the emergency response and the investigation that was done in the aftermath of this young man's death, as well as why the man's parents ended up blasting the park at a news conference. Everyone deserves to enjoy these

parks and come home safely. That's all we're asking for. Welcome to Sidebar, presented by law and crime. I'm Jesse Weber. A Florida woman went through a horrific nightmare last year. Havillis was riding a roller coaster at Universal Studios, Epic Universe, next to her longtime boyfriend, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, when she looked over and realized something was terribly wrong. As the roller coaster plummeted downward and whipped around corners, Kevin was apparently repeatedly hitting his head. Blood was flying everywhere. Havillies was screaming. When the Stardust Racer finally came to a stop, the 32-year-old's body was limp and it was contorted. Epic Universe employees, medics, Orange County EMTs, they rushed to help him, pulling him from the ride,

putting him on the ground to do CPR, but it was too late. Kevin died on September 17, 2025. And since then, law enforcement in the park itself have done investigations. And there was a potential lawsuit on behalf of the family that was being considered. Epic Universe changed some of the guidelines, guidance for their coasters. So we're going to dive into each aspect of this awful incident to show how investigators responded, how this conclusion was reached. And we'll talk about what that conclusion was, but the footage is just something else. Now, I do have to give you some important context as we talk about this for you to understand. So Kevin was born with spinal cord atrophy. He was using a wheelchair. Now, according to his family, he didn't let that disability

get in the way. He let an active, independent lifestyle. He'd gone to college. He was a video game designer. Havalees told investigators that she had gotten a job at Epic Universe, took Kevin to the park as a birthday gift using two new hire tickets that she'd been given. So it was all well and good. She told police that typically Kevin's whole family would go with him on trips to amusement parks. But this time, it was just the two of them. Now, Epic Universe had just opened a few months before and may have 2025. Stardust Racers track stands more than 130 feet tall, reaches a top speed of 62 miles an hour, and you go to September 17th. As Orange County deputies arrived at the scene, multiple paramedics were trying to revive Kevin.

You want to happy now? On the second round, I fill the second row. I'll get some G6A start. Yeah, yeah, I got the Lucas right. Well, I'll be switched. I'm not worried about me with this right now. I got you next rotation. That's not the owner's suspect. That's not the only thing you got. And get some fluids ready as well. Here.

What happened? What's your doing right? How is this color going on? He's still blue in the face. Okay. Um, hey, the pad. I got you. The pad is all right.

The punch and the engine has two. You get a chance. You're able to give a small-based and the super cuts. They're asking, you know, I left they forgot the court. We're going to code. We're going to code.

We're going to cancel. You can cancel. How are we going to go? Yeah, I don't get it. Why don't we need blood, though? On Windows closed. Over the other? I'll run this.

Minute 45. A minute 45. Hey, we need this. I.O. Secured, bro. Hey, Jamie, secure the ID. Hey, Hector, grab the pre-charging. BPM real quick. I-O.

We pre-charging. Secure the I-O. Hey, close, second, take on with the All right, pulse check, all right, pulse check, all the check. Switch, happy on one. Good, good. Hey, where's that securing device with the I.O?

What are you medics is here first? So, the blood's from like a heavy word? Yeah, it looks like he, is that. It looks like he, is going to hit it on something. on something. Okay. You're going on high to get a heart about it?

Oh, geez. Oh, my. You guys get an idea of them or anything? Was somebody sending the X-Tool? Yeah, they did. I'm unsure what they did. She probably removed her maybe to the family. Hey, where's the lady that was

sitting next to him. I think they're down. Okay. Yeah, there's a woman sitting right next to him, apparently. That thing is covered in blood. Yeah. Okay. Where is that?

I'm trying to figure that one out right now. I've been asking for a family member for like the last five minutes. So as Kevin was wheeled away on a stretcher, headed for the hospital, that's when deputy started their investigation, getting a closer look at the roller coaster seat, which I have to tell you was covered in blood. Where were you guys in the call camera? I was in my far. They said, oh yeah, head injury at Stardust.

I was like, ah, somebody slipped and fell. They didn't say it was, you know, for us it would have been like an industrial accident. Right. I guess he wasn't strapped in all the way. I'm trying to figure out if this is like brain matter or vomit? Yeah. Yeah. You want to take some photos?

They'll have been a little investigation here. She's going to take photos. They want to take photos. For their thing? Yeah, yeah. Corporate photo for the photo. Oh, yeah. I was going to say, you just do me a third

and I'm doing it from this side of the fence. I'd heard that they do it on this side, just so we got enough of our investigation side. From our, all the end of that. Until I talked to do the second to see how they are my animal. Is that what I don't know what's going to be here? I don't know what's going to be here.

So now I'd rather just hold it. You're good with that? You're good with that? Yeah, I just, I don't want anybody messing with it. I don't hear that. And going back to Havelis, she was sitting a little ways away from the rides exit, just trying to take in everything that was going on. I need a statement on what happened. If you could recall, if you were able to.

We went on the ride. Uh-huh. I saw him was too low. He doesn't have any support on his leg. Okay. They pushed it about three times, maybe four. Who pushed it, the ride workers? Okay.

I tried, I saw him on the first drop. Uh-huh. He saw him hit his head. I tried to hold him. I couldn't hold him. Okay. Another one, he hit his end. So he hit, so.

He just, went up and hit. So the seat was loose the whole time? It looked like he was tight, but it wasn't. Like I said, he doesn't have support on his leg, so he can't just go support so he can just stay in place. Okay. That's all I can remember, because I lost my glasses halfway of the right. I got you.

All I know he kept in his head. I try to hold him so he doesn't get his head anymore. Okay. But it was... All right. Deep breaths. All right. I know it's a...

I had the situation, okay? Now, Havillies was also taken to the hospital to be checked out, but her boyfriend of approximately 10 years was pronounced dead. The day after Kevin's death, Universal Orlando released this statement. Universal is cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff's Office following a tragic event involving a guest at Epic Universe on Wednesday night. The guest became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers and was transported to the hospital where the guests later died.

We were devastated by this event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest's loved ones, We are fully committed to cooperating with this ongoing investigation. Now, we got our hands on an incident report that was filed by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which kind of gives us an idea of how deputies conducted their investigation, okay? So they noted that there were several warning signs at the entrance to the ride and throughout the line that said, and this is important for a legal context, how amusement parks try to shield themselves from liability, because if they have inadequate warning signs, they can be held liable. But in part, it says these high-speed roller coasters include sudden,

and dramatic acceleration, climbing, tilting, and inversion and dropping. Failure to follow posted guidelines may result in serious injury or expulsion from the park. Guests using standard wheelchairs, motorized wheelchairs, or electric convenience vehicles must transfer to the ride vehicle seating. And that's exactly what Kevin did. He moved from his wheelchair to the ride. In fact, here's what an employee who helped him told investigators. This is according to the incident report.

I asked if he would be okay with transferring and he said yes. So one of my team members escorted him while I helped another guest. Another team member and I then were told he had difficulty transferring and we need our transfer device, which is designed to assist guests unable to walk. We brought the device over to him and he transferred into it easily. It was a very normal transfer and he met all ride requirements. He transferred from the device into the vehicle easily. Investigators also got a sworn statement from the employee who helped secure Kevin's lap bar.

Kevin, the individual that was riding in the wheelchair that day, were you helping with the lap bar? I did. I did check. I checked his lap bar, yes. Okay. And was there any issues with it? The only thing that came up was with our loading procedures. If the lap bar, so we have our indicator on the side of the seat, that lets us know if the seat's in the green or not. If it's not in the green, we can tell there's a little notch that, like, we'll lean into the red. he had transferred over with the help from the transfer chair in the leads and he was sitting in the seat upright like you know we normally want them to be and the lap restraint minimum was not met it was like this close so in that like in that situation we would ask them are you okay like are you comfortable if I push down a little bit just to make sure your lap bar accommodates you and he said yes and so then I pushed the lap bar down like we normally go with two hands she's checked again and then the restraint, the indicator met the minimum. Like it met where it was supposed to meet in order for him to be able to ride. So when you applied that one last pressure when you asked him, Kay, can I push down a little?

And he said yes. And it met the minimum requirements for it to lock. Yes. When you did that, did he show any signs of discomfort? No, he did not show any signs of discomfort. He didn't make a noise. His face didn't change. And we also have to like kind of verify again like with him like to make sure like like with anyone that we would do that with that they're comfortable.

And and he very clearly showed signs that he was indeed comfortable like in that seat. Like there was no discomfort that he was placed under. Did his girlfriend say anything like she was worried about anything? No, she didn't say anything at all. And she appeared to be fine as well. Yes. So the deputies reviewed the surveillance footage of the ride and they made the following observations. And this is key.

8.54. 20 p.m. Ride staff started to help the deceding get seated in the ride. 8.56.57 p.m. The ride departs the loading and unloading dock. 8.5.57 p.m. The ride is observed at the decedent. The ride is observed at the decedent. The ride departs to be engaged and well. 8.58 p.m. The ride arrived back at the loading and loading dock and it is evident. The decedent. The ride is unresponsive. So you do wonder what role that footage would have played at a trial, right? But investigators also interviewed Havillies again to try to understand exactly what happened during the ride. I noticed that when he sat down, it was a little too low. They pushed the bar about. Would it be it was a little too low? Like his belly was right here and he was like the bar was like right here. Okay.

So they pushed it. and they couldn't get it right. They pushed it again. They couldn't get it right and they pushed it one more time. I think three times I can't. I think it was three or four times I can't remember. Once they got the green,

they did okay and we went on the right. On the first drop, that's when he kind of went up. And he hit his head. On what? We went on the, there was the last call. And he, We were like in the kind of on the front where there was like the little bar of the cart. Of course there's like the metal bar.

He kind of lifted. I don't know how he just lifted up. He hit himself like he would just bend and lift and just hit his head. Were you seeing this as you were riding? Yes, I saw it. When I noticed I tried to pick them up as fast as I could and hold him as much as I could and as strong as I could. And I remember just ripping his shirt

because on the second drop, it did the same thing. I don't remember if it was... I know... I think it wasn't the third drop. He hit his head again. I don't remember if there was a fourth drop. I know there were like three drops, probably. And he just he hit his head.

And then obviously I was just screaming, trying to make him, like, trying to get him to talk to me to see if he's conscious to see, like, he's... And this was all as the ride was still going You were trying to see if you was trying. Yes, I lost my glasses. He lost his glasses. We were just trying to, like, I was just trying to again to answer me.

I was just trying to hold him as much as I could. I would just hold him. I know every picture completely because I was just holding him. According to News 6 in Orlando, Orange Osceola chief medical examiner, Joshua Stephanie said an autopsy revealed that the cause of death was multiple blunt impact injuries. And the manner of death, this is key, was an accident. And the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper reports that the resort itself, as well as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, determined that the ride systems functioned as intended, that the equipment was intact, and that park employees followed proper procedures.

Now, Kevin's family wanted more concrete answers about exactly what happened here on the ride and whether anything had gone wrong that could be prevented in the future. So what did they do? They ended up hiring high-profile attorney Ben Crump announced that they were getting their own investigators to take a closer. or look at Stardust Racers. And then you go to October 4th, two weeks after Kevin died, and the park reopened the roller coaster. This was much to the disappointment of the family and Ben Crump, who spoke at a news conference. Let me start this press conference off with reminding you all after this tragedy. Before we had our first press conference, the president of Universal Epic,

put out some statement to her team members after the tragedy. And in large part, she says safety is and always will be at the forefront of everything we do. Well, universal, these words ring hollow in light of you, reopening the Stardustre coaster this weekend without giving Kevin's families any answers whatsoever to why he was killed on your roller coaster. The family was very disappointed that they reopened this ride. while we were trying to set up the inspections, almost like a thief in the night

when they sat on a Friday afternoon. We opening the ride tomorrow. You know when the family found out that the ride was going to be reopened? When you all found out the ride was going to be opened, I mean, they feel it was the ultimate disrespect. Kevin trusted universal. He trusted them assisting him on the ride.

He trusted the process. He trusted the training of universal employees to keep him safe and out of harm's way. Kevin trusted the universal officials. And that trust end up being a death sentence. And Kevin's family members, their pain was on full display as they spoke at that news conference about their loss. Kevin did nothing wrong. He reviewed the warnings before getting on the roller coaster like he always did any time he wrote on the roller coaster. He placed his trust in Universal and its employees not to let him board on a ride if it was dangerous for him.

He believed he was safe because Universal's actions told him that he was safe. We can't get Kevin back, but we can speak up to make sure no one else loses their life this way. Kevin's mom, Anna, delivered a statement in Spanish and then had someone step in to read it in English. Writing roller coasters was something we both love to do together. We shared that thrill and exhilaration. It made him and I feel alive and free. One of my favorite photos of us is on a roller coaster. Both of us smiling, his hands in the air, but now that photo is too painful to look at

because it reminds me of how he died. When we learned Universal had reopened the ride, we were heartbroken. It felt like losing him all over again. How can the ride be open both? before we even have answers about what went wrong, before our own experts can even take a look at it. We're not asking them to close it forever. We're asking them for answers and to make it safe

because we do not want another family to go through what we are all going through. I continue to toss and turn at night, trying to figure out why they don't think my son life mattered. If this were their children, I don't think they would have opened up this ride so quickly. I love my son just as much as they love their children. Whoever is making the decision to put profit over people and their safety, may God have mercy on your soul. Now I'm going to give you my legal take in a minute, but I just want to note one more thing.

When the ride reopened, it had some new guidelines as part of Universal Orlando Resort guide for safety and accessibility. There was a list of rides where guests using mobility devices must be able to walk independently, and that now includes Stardust Racers. The reason I think that's significant is whenever you see a company make a change after an incident, there is a legal argument that could be made is that acknowledging fault, is that acknowledging liability, is that acknowledging a mistake. Now, under the specific rules for the ride, there is a note that says this attraction has a device to assist you with your transfer to the ride vehicle. Please see an attractions attended for further information, guests using mobility devices must be able to walk

independently. But then you go to the Orange County Sheriff's Office incident report that was released in December and it states the following investigator's conclusion. Based upon the totality of the circumstances with consideration of known available evidence to include sworn statements, video surveillance, the District 9 medical examiner's office findings, the standard operating procedures provided by Epic Universe, this case was deemed an accidental death and was closed accordingly. Now, I have to give you a piece of law here. Whenever you're talking about lawsuits against amusement parks, many times these parks are shielded from liability based on something called assumption of the risk. You can see that in the warning signs, sometimes in a ticket or a purchase.

There will be a waiver that you know what you're getting into, that you're voluntarily participating in these activities, that you're knowingly accepting the risks, and you're doing it anyway. And there's, you know, primary assumption of the risk. So you understand that there's inherent dangers involved, but again, you're waiving liability. You're waiving your right to sue the amusement park if something, God forbid, should happen. But then there's this secondary assumption of risks. So sometimes where amusement parks are not shielded from liability is if there was negligent maintenance of the ride, or there was an operational error, or there were design defects. Again, inadequate warning. It would be very difficult for amusement parks to say somebody waive their right to sue

and we can just operate this roller coaster however we want negligently. We can have somebody playing on their phone while they operate it. That's not necessarily what somebody is waiving their rights for. They're not assuming that risk. They're going on. They're assuming that the ride is functioning properly. So that is something interesting to be thinking about. But I want to make something clear.

As of that October press conference, the family hadn't filed the lawsuit against Universal Orlando. But according to Ben Crump, they were considering, quote, all legal options. But then you go to December, and the law firm announced that there was a settlement reached. A statement reads, the family of Kevin Rodriguez-Zavala and Universal have reached an amical resolution in this matter. The terms are confidential. The family is grateful for the community support and asks for privacy at this time. It's confidential. We don't know exactly what the terms were.

Something they'd be thinking about is an amusement park, if they settle here, it doesn't mean that they're at fault, per se. They just maybe wouldn't want to go through the time and the expense. of going to trial. You know, one of the things that happens in litigation is their discovery. Do they want all their internal reports and communications being revealed? Maybe, maybe not. And at the end of the day, I think this is clear, this was a tragedy. And perhaps entering into a settlement, perhaps financially compensating the family to some degree, that can help in a way. Nothing is going to bring him back. But maybe that helps in a way, and it's a way to kind of resolve this situation

in a way where the family could potentially move on and be helped. and be helped. So again, this is a horrific situation for this family. They lost a brother. They lost a son. You have a girlfriend who lost her boyfriend. And he was just doing what he loved when he died. He was riding a roller coaster. Again, just a tragedy. And our hearts and our prayers and our thoughts are with his family and friends. Difficult to say the least. It's all we have for you right now here on Sidebar, everybody. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should get your podcast. You can also Check us out on NBC's Peacock as well.

If you want to follow me, ex-instagram, my news nation show, Jesse Weber Live, Monday through Friday, 11 p.m. Eastern. See you next time. Bye.