After an over two-week closure, Stardust Racers is slated to reopen at Epic Universe this weekend. The ride’s return comes amidst ongoing litigation following the death of a guest, but after Universal Orlando’s internal investigation revealed the roller coaster functioned as designed during that fatality. Here’s the latest on the Stardust Racers saga.
The guest who passed away was 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala. On the evening of Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Zavala became unresponsive after riding Stardust Racers. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was quickly pronounced dead.
Chief Medical Examiner Joshua Stephany, M.D. with Orange and Osceola counties stated that an autopsy was performed on Thursday morning and that Zavala’s cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries.” The cause of death was determined to be accidental.
Stardust Racers has been closed every single day since the death on September 17th. It is once again listed as “Closed Today” in the Universal Orlando app on Friday, Oct. 3rd.
The latest development is that Universal Orlando has announced that Stardust Racers will reopen on October 4, 2025. The attraction is slated to have a delayed opening, with a scheduled start on Saturday afternoon.
Karen Irwin, Universal Orlando Resort President & COO, said the following in an email to Team Members at Epic Universe:
As one Universal Orlando family, we continue to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to Mr. Rodriguez Zavala’s family and loved ones for their loss. I am very grateful for the professionalism, compassion, and care our team has shown during and since this tragic event took place.
As I previously indicated, our comprehensive technical and operational review confirmed the ride systems functioned properly throughout the boarding process, the duration of the ride, and upon the ride vehicle’s return to the station, and our Team Members followed procedures throughout.
Our extensive review was conducted working closely with local officials, and the State of Florida observed the testing and reviewed the results. In addition, the ride system manufacturer of record and an independent, third-party roller coaster engineering expert conducted their own on-site testing and validated our findings. I am thankful for their participation throughout this important process.
Safety, as always, is our top priority. To further assist guests in determining whether they can or cannot ride an attraction, we are updating operational procedures and attraction signage to reinforce existing ride warnings and physical eligibility requirements at Stardust Racers and other rides.
Our Commentary
Universal would not be reopening Stardust Racers unless they were confident in both the safety of the attraction and their exposure to legal liability. I want to start with this point because it’s a significant one.
“Safety is our top priority” might seem like an obligatory platitude, but it’s also accurate. Universal and parent company Comcast would not be allowing this ride to reopen unless they were certain that doing so would not leave them exposed in the event of future incidents to successful litigation. Meaning that their own internal investigation must be conclusive; they must likewise feel their confident in their legal position.
Nevertheless, I’m shocked at the speed with which Stardust Racers is returning. Given the number of incidents and the ongoing lawsuit, I figured this was going to be a long road to reopening–and one that entailed substantive changes (not just signage) to the roller coaster. Honestly, my gut was that early 2026 was entirely plausible for the ride’s return.
I’m happy to be wrong about this. It means Stardust Racers is viewed as safe by Universal; its warnings, policies & protocol, and rider requirements are all sufficient in providing reasonable notice to guests about who is eligible and the risk being assumed. This does not mean there won’t be future incidents or further litigation. But rather, that it’s an acceptable level of risk and Comcast feels reasonably confident that they can prevail on the merits. We shall see about all of that.
Stardust Racers being down has been a big blow to the operating capacity of Epic Universe. Its return will likewise provide much-needed capacity and reliability to the ride roster, just before fall break starts kicking into high gear.
Stardust Racers is also one of the more reliable and high-capacity attractions in Epic Universe, owing in large part to it essentially being two roller coasters on one load platform. The theoretical hourly capacity of Stardust Racers is estimated to be over 2,750 guests, which is a big reason why it frequently has the shortest waits in the park. Like Monsters Unchained, the roller coaster is/was a people eater.
This is a sharp contrast to Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness, for example, which has an estimated hourly capacity of 700-800 guests. That is, of course, assuming it’s operational in the first place. Another roller coaster, Curse of the Werewolf, is similarly low; in the 1,000 riders ballpark, which also explains its high wait times despite the consensus view that Stardust Racers is the #1 roller coaster at Epic Universe.
Stardust Racers having the capacity of ~3 other rides combined and being more reliable made it an asset to Epic Universe, which is still finding its operational footing. Moreover, Stardust Racers being a great roller coaster that is viewed as “worth it” in terms of reward relative to the wait is also huge. (I would hazard a guess that Stardust Racers has some of the highest GSATs in Epic Universe; I wouldn’t be surprised if those other two coasters have some of the lowest.)
All of this is to say that Stardust Racers being closed for multiple months–especially into the Christmas season–would’ve been a massive blow to park operations. Its return is a huge win for Epic Universe; hopefully it’s soon accompanied by better weather (meaning less downtime) and efficiency gains on guest throughput. It’s been a rough ride for Epic Universe thus far, but the park has great bones and we really hope early 2026 marks a turning point!
Stardust Racers Incident Recap
According to an incident report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Zavala’s longtime girlfriend was with him when riding Stardust Racers and informed deputies that he had a pre-existing spinal condition and was taking medication. Zavala’s family has confirmed that he had a spinal disability from birth and used a wheelchair, but claimed that did not cause his death.
Like other intense thrill rides, Stardust Racers has a laundry list of safety rules and guidelines. Among other warnings, the attraction lists the following requirements for riding: “You should be able to independently: (1) maintain an upright position, (2) support your torso, neck, and head while absorbing sudden and dramatic movements, and (3) brace your body with at least one natural upper extremity. You must be able to take a small step into the ride vehicle compartment, either independently or with assistance from your companion.”
The Zavala family has since retained renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump. The family is seeking full transparency from Universal Orlando, including the release of maintenance logs, inspection records, ride data, and video footage, to understand the circumstances surrounding Kevin’s death.
Crump’s legal team has heard from additional witnesses and other riders who reported suffering injuries on Stardust Racers. The family believes these accounts show that warning signs were missed and that Kevin’s death was entirely preventable. At a recent news conference, Crump and the family detailed the accounts of other injured riders who have reached out to them.
People who’ve contacted the family and law office include a woman who says she lost consciousness and suffered neck and spine injuries soon after the ride opened, Crump said during the news conference. He indicated that several of the guests who have reported injuries were not disabled, yet they have nevertheless had problems with the ride. The stories shared with the attorney suggest a pattern of problems with the ride’s restraints, causing riders to be thrown forward and hit the the bar in front of them.
In addition to this ongoing lawsuit over the Stardust Racers fatality, Universal Orlando settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who asserted that she was injured on Stardust Racers during previews of the park three weeks before its official opening. She alleged that the roller coaster caused her head to shake violently and slam against her seat’s headrest. She claimed that she suffered permanent injuries because Stardust Racers lacked proper head restraints. Universal settled that suit within a few days of filing.
In a facilities report of the state’s theme parks for the second quarter (April through June), the Florida Department of Agriculture revealed that Universal Orlando had a total of seven reported incident, with two of them being on Stardust Racers. Per the report:
- 6/22/25 Stardust Racers, 63 yom, dizziness/altered state of consciousness (pre-existing condition)
- 6/24/25 Stardust Racers, 47 yof, visual disturbance/numbness (pre-existing condition)
Crump has stated that there were numerous “warning signs that there was something wrong with the design” of Stardust Racers, and that instead of remedying the problems, Universal has tried to “blame the victims.”
Stardust Racers is a dual-launch racing coaster that sends guests rocketing through the skies aboard comets in a race to see who’s the fastest of them all. Reaching speeds up to 62 mph and heights up to 133 feet along 5,000 feet of track, Stardust Racers is Epic Universe’s most thrilling coaster experience with unique maneuvers such as the “Celestial Spin,” in which the two coaster vehicles perform an inverted crisscross while speeding through the air, creating an otherworldly adrenaline rush.
In our Epic Universe Ride Reviews & Ratings, we gave Stardust Racers a perfect 10/10, with the following praise: “These playful coasters are full of surprises, with high-speed thrills offset by moments of levity and amazing interplay between the two tracks. There’s a ridiculous amount of airtime, and even though it’s intense, it’s never punishing.”
Need trip planning tips and comprehensive advice for your visit to Central Florida? Make sure to read our Universal Orlando Planning Guide for everything about Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Also check out our Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for everything about those parks, resorts, restaurants, and so much more. For regular updates, news & rumors, a heads up when discounts are released, and much more, sign up for our FREE email newsletter.
Your Thoughts
Have you experienced Stardust Racers at Epic Universe? Surprised that Universal Orlando is reopening the ride so quickly, or did you expect it to return once the internal investigation indicated that it functioned as intended? Thoughts on what the ride adds to the ride roster and park capacity at Epic Universe? Any questions we can help you answer? Please keep the conversation civil and be respectful of the deceased and his family, friends and loved ones. Any comments that cross the line will be deleted.
