A Florida woman just sued Universal Orlando, alleging a new Epic Universe coaster left her permanently injured during an April 30, 2025 pre-opening ride—days after a different guest died following the same attraction. The timing spotlights a high-stakes safety and scrutiny moment for Universal’s most anticipated park in years.
A negligence claim aimed at a flagship new ride
According to the Associated Press, Sandi Streets filed a negligence lawsuit in Florida state court on September 24–26, 2025 (reporting varies), claiming she suffered “permanent” injuries on the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Universal’s Epic Universe during a pre-opening visit on April 30, 2025 (AP). Her suit says her head “shook violently,” struck the seat headrest, and led to lasting disability, medical expenses, and lost earnings. Streets alleges the ride failed to restrain riders adequately and didn’t warn them properly about potential risks.
The filing lands roughly a week after 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was found unresponsive and later died following a ride on the same coaster. The Orange–Osceola medical examiner determined his cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries,” ruling the manner an “accident,” per the AP report. Universal says its internal review indicates the ride systems “functioned as intended,” and the attraction remains closed while investigations continue.
What the lawsuit argues—and what Universal says
At its core, Streets’ complaint is a classic negligence claim: she asserts Universal owed a duty of care, breached it via insufficient restraint and warning, and caused injuries that led to damages. That framework is standard in personal injury cases. The facts, and how a jury (or judge) interprets them, will determine what happens next.
Universal’s early stance—again, as reported by the AP—is that the attraction’s systems functioned correctly. That doesn’t automatically resolve injury claims, but it’s an important marker. If systems are shown to have operated as designed, the legal battle can shift to whether the design itself posed unreasonable risk, whether warnings were adequate, and whether riders were properly screened or briefed.
Expect the dispute to hinge on records and testing: ride ops logs, restraint specifications, g-force and vibration profiles, maintenance reports, and any rider health advisories used in previews. Plaintiffs typically also introduce medical documentation and expert testimony to connect ride dynamics to specific injuries.
A death, a closure, and a cloud over Epic Universe’s rollout
The death of a guest and a new lawsuit would be significant for any attraction. For a marquee coaster inside Epic Universe—a park designed as a bold expansion of Universal’s Orlando footprint—the stakes are higher. Operators often rely on soft openings, previews, and controlled capacity ramps to surface issues before full-scale crowds arrive. That process is now overshadowed by a fatality, a legal challenge, and a closed headline ride.
Universal has kept Stardust Racers closed while investigations proceed. That’s the conservative play: prioritize safety, preserve evidence, and let regulators and internal teams do their work. It may also limit reputational whiplash. Reopening too soon risks blowback; staying dark too long raises questions about readiness and design. There’s no easy lane here.
By the numbers
- Date of alleged injury: April 30, 2025 (pre-opening visit)
- Lawsuit filed: September 24–26, 2025 (reporting varies by outlet)
- Deceased rider: Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32
- Medical examiner findings: Cause—multiple blunt impact injuries; manner—accident
- Status: Stardust Racers remains closed pending investigations (per AP)
What courts tend to watch in ride-injury cases
Legal analysts point out that theme-park injury cases often turn on a few practical questions:
- Duty and warnings: Did the operator provide clear, conspicuous advisories about health conditions, ride intensity, and restraint limits? Were those warnings accessible to non-experts and non-native English speakers?
- Design and forces: Were the ride’s forces within accepted industry norms? Did the restraint system match the ride’s lateral and vertical dynamics, especially in transitions that can cause “head whip” or headrest contact?
- Operations and maintenance: Were procedures followed? Any anomalies in the logbooks? Were staff trained to identify rider fit or pre-existing risk factors?
- Causation: Do medical records and experts connect the ride experience to the alleged injuries—in severity and timing?
None of that presumes the outcome here. It just explains why these cases can take months or years, and why one incident doesn’t automatically settle the bigger safety question.
The business calculus: safety optics versus opening momentum
If Universal is right that systems functioned as intended, the company could argue the ride meets its design and regulatory obligations. But optics matter. For a new park that signals Universal’s next decade of growth, repeated headlines about injuries—regardless of fault—can dampen enthusiasm and complicate marketing.
On the other hand, a thorough, transparent investigation and a clear public explanation can rebuild trust. Even incremental steps—updated signage, revised rider advisories, or notable restraint tweaks—often reassure guests that lessons were taken seriously. That playbook helped other operators navigate high-profile incidents in the past.
Pros and cons of staying closed during investigation
- Pros: Prioritizes safety; preserves evidence; shows seriousness; allows time for potential adjustments.
- Cons: Prolonged downtime for a headline attraction; lingering uncertainty; lost operational data from real-world throughput.
What to watch next
- Investigation updates: Look for findings from local authorities and any state oversight bodies, along with Universal’s internal review.
- Operational changes: New or revised rider advisories, restraint adjustments, or modified ride profiles can be telltale signals, even if the company says systems worked as designed.
- Legal milestones: Motions to dismiss, discovery disputes, and expert reports often illuminate the technical heart of a case long before trial.
In the near term, Universal has two parallel audiences: investigators and the public. Winning over both requires paperwork and posture—clean logs and credible communication. However the lawsuit proceeds, the path back for Stardust Racers will likely run through meticulous documentation and a message: here’s what happened, here’s what changed, and here’s why it’s safe to ride.
Quick recap
- A woman is suing Universal, claiming a pre-opening ride on Stardust Racers caused permanent injuries.
- About a week earlier, a 32-year-old man died after riding the same coaster; his death was ruled an accident due to multiple blunt impact injuries.
- Universal says internal findings show ride systems worked as intended; the coaster remains closed during ongoing investigations.
- The case centers on warnings, restraint adequacy, operations, and medical causation—issues that often take time to resolve.
In short
- Lawsuit filed: late September 2025, Florida state court
- Allegations: inadequate restraints/warnings; permanent injury
- Universal stance: systems functioned as intended (per AP)
- Ride status: closed pending investigations
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