Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, of Kissimmee died after being found unresponsive on Epic Universe's Stardust Racers roller coaster after riding it on Sept. 17. His family set up a GoFundMe to cover the funeral and memorial expenses.
Stardust Racers is a dual-launch roller coaster that reaches speeds of up to 62 miles per hour at Universal Epic Universe.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has concluded that the death of a Universal Epic Universe guest was accidental, echoing earlier findings by the county's chief medical examiner.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala of Kissimmee, Florida, was found unresponsive after riding the park's Stardust Racers roller coaster on Sept. 17.

The sheriff's office announced on Dec. 11 that no criminal acts were involved and that the case is closed.

Initial investigations by both Universal and Florida regulators had indicated the ride did not malfunction. However, the family's lawyers were conducting an independent investigation.

What happened at Stardust Racers?

According to the sheriff's incident report, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, Rodriguez Zavala’s girlfriend who rode with him, told a deputy that it took two to three attempts to secure the safety bar around Rodriguez Zavala on the Stardust Racers ride.

Although she thought he was secure, Rodriguez Zavala flew forward and hit his head when the ride began. Cruz-Robles noted that she had seen him hit his head multiple times and tried to hold him back, but couldn’t.

Witnesses said he appeared to have "severe facial trauma" and "a significant amount of blood loss," and was unconscious when the ride ended, according to the report. He was transported to and later declared dead at a local hospital.

An autopsy found Rodriguez Zavala died of “multiple blunt impact injuries."

At a press conference following his death, his parents said he was born with spinal cord atrophy, but noted he led an active, independent life and was a theme park “freak” who loved coasters. Attorney Ben Crump, whose firm is representing the family, added that Rodriguez Zavala was not under medical restrictions that would have prevented him from riding Stardust Racers and noted that blunt force trauma is not a pre-existing condition.

Is Stardust Racers still closed?

Stardust Racers was initially closed, but has since reopened following inspection by multiple parties.

In a letter to Universal Orlando team members following the incident, resort president Karen Irwin said, “Our internal findings to date confirm that the ride systems functioned as intended, equipment was intact at the ride’s start, throughout the duration of the ride and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures.”

That was echoed by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which conducted the investigation on behalf of the state. “The department’s current findings align with those shared by Universal after monitoring the same tests and reviewing the same information,” FDACS said in a statement.

Statements from Universal team members who were working on the ride at the time of the incident also indicate proper procedures appear to have been followed, according to the sheriff's office incident report.

Fatal accidents are extremely rare on theme park attractions, which are regularly checked for safety, as park safety experts have previously told USA TODAY.

Contributing: Samantha Neely, USA TODAY Network Florida

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No crime found in fatal Universal's Epic Universe coaster incident

Reporting by Eve Chen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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