{"id":420787,"date":"2026-10-07T01:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T01:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/420787\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T01:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T01:20:09","slug":"lawsuit-targets-universal-says-child-passed-out-on-stardust-racers-coaster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/420787\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit targets Universal, says child passed out on Stardust Racers coaster"},"content":{"rendered":"

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 Roughly a year after a rider was found dead on the Stardust Racers rollercoaster at Universal\u2019s Epic Universe, the theme park is under fire again over a child passing out on the ride, according to court records obtained by News 6.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit \u2014 filed on behalf of the child, \u201cL.L.\u201d \u2014 says that L.L. was at Epic Universe back in October 2025.<\/p>\n

While there, he rode the Stardust Racers coaster, though he ultimately \u201clost consciousness as a result of the forces generated by the attraction,\u201d the lawsuit asserts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile L.L. was unconscious, and with no restraint or support to hold or protect his head, neck, or upper body, L.L.\u2019s head and face were thrown against the hard surfaces of the ride vehicle,\u201d the lawsuit reads.<\/p>\n

\"\"“Exhibit ‘A'” included in the lawsuit, which reportedly shows the child unconscious on the ride. (Public Record)<\/p>\n

As a result of the incident, L.L. suffered blunt impact injuries to his head, along with orthopedic and spinal injuries, the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n

Now, L.L.\u2019s parent is accusing Universal of negligence. Mack Rides, which designed Stardust Racers, is also named in the lawsuit, accused of strict products liability and negligence.<\/p>\n

STARDUST RACERS DEATH<\/p>\n

The lawsuit further points to an incident last year where a rider died while on the Stardust Racers rollercoaster.<\/p>\n

Investigative documents show that the incident happened in September 2025, when 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive on the ride<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Zavala was pronounced dead at the hospital, but Orange County fire officials said that he hadn\u2019t fallen from the roller coaster. Instead, the medical examiner chalked it up to \u201cmultiple blunt impact injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the report, Zavala appeared to have suffered \u201csevere facial trauma,\u201d with witnesses reporting a \u201csignificant amount of blood loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

[RELATED: Incident report sheds light on Stardust Racers death at Epic Universe]<\/p>\n

First responders said they learned that Zavala was wheelchair-bound as a result of a preexisting spinal injury, meaning he didn\u2019t have full use of his legs.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, though, investigators determined the incident was an \u201caccidental death,\u201d and the case is now closed. <\/p>\n

Regardless, the ride was shut down for approximately two weeks after Zavala\u2019s death, but the lawsuit argues that Universal reopened the ride without:<\/p>\n

Reducing the force profile of the attraction<\/p>\n

Modifying the restraint system<\/p>\n

Imposing any minimum age or medical screening requirement<\/p>\n

Warning riders or their parents that the attraction was capable of causing a rider to lose consciousness<\/p>\n

Now, L.L.\u2019s parent seeks compensation for the damages involved.<\/p>\n

News 6 has reached out to Universal for a statement and is awaiting a response.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2013 Roughly a year after a rider was found dead on the Stardust Racers rollercoaster…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":420788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[7071,1107,1335,139,141,140,2411],"class_list":["post-420787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-children","tag-courts","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-theme-parks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}