TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The death of a man who rode on Epic Universe’s Stardust Racers was accidental, medical examiners in Florida have determined.

According to a final report released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, Kevin Rodriguez Zavala’s death on Sept. 17 was accidental and caused by multiple blunt impact injuries.

Sworn statements from people who were there said Rodriguez Zavala suffered “severe facial trauma” and lost a “significant amount of blood” after riding the rollercoaster.

Dr. Anna Marshall, who was at the park on vacation, heard someone screaming, “Get me out!” so she asked the ride staff to let her help.

As she walked to the scene, she encountered Rodriguez Zavala’s girlfriend, Javiliz Cruz-Robles, with blood on her face. She then saw the 32-year-old man slouched over with blood all around him while the ride staff “appeared to be frozen.”

The report stated Marshall jumped the fence and ran to the ride to check Rodriguez-Zavala’s condition.

“I couldn’t 100% be certain, but I was relatively confident at that point that he was lifeless,” Marshall stated in the report.

While she did not think he was alive, she did not tell his girlfriend. She observed several injuries on Rodriguez Zavala’s body, including a femur that was broken in half.

It took 10 minutes for the lap bar on his seat to be released so Orange County Fire Rescue personnel could remove and begin treating him.

“The guest was stuck on the ride vehicle face down, falling out of the seat, with legs inverted,” one first responder wrote in the report.

The first responders made note of “defects” to both of the patient’s legs, and they were informed by Rodriguez Zavala’s girlfriend that he required the use of a wheelchair.

After Rodriguez Zavala was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment, a deputy took Cruz-Robles, to the hospital as well. There, she told deputies what happened before and during the ride.

“Cruz-Robles was riding Stardust Racers with her boyfriend, Zavala, who was to her direct left,” Deputy M. Felder wrote in the report. “Directly before the ride began, a universal ride employee pushed down on Zavala’s lap restraint multiple times. Cruz-Robles remembers very little about what happened next but remembers seeing him hit his head on the seat multiple times. Cruz-Robles stated Zavala had a preexisting spinal injury and was taking Baclofen medication.”

Baclofen is a muscle relaxant used to treat pain and spasms.

A supplemental report by Deputy Tria Rojas also included other details from Cruz-Robles, who said she thought Rodriguez Zavala was secure in his seat, but things went wrong during the first downhill portion of the ride.

“When the ride began the first downhill Kevin flew forward striking his head,” Rojas wrote. She saw him hit his head multiple times and tried to hold him back, but couldn’t, according to the report. She was “crying for help but due to being in the middle of the ride no one heard her screaming for help until the train cart was getting close to the station.”

Sworn statements were also taken from Epic Universe employees who were at the scene, including the employee who fastened the lap bar onto Rodriguez Zavala.

The employee told authorities that he followed proper procedures and pushed the lap bar to make sure he was secure in his seat.

“I asked him if he was okay with me pushing his lap bar in a little more, and he said yes,” the employee stated. “I gave it a small push, and the indicator states it was good for him to ride. I then visually re-checked the lapbar, per our procedures, and we were able to clear the train. The train completes its cycle, and the stop button was pressed. I could not see why, until I was told that a guest was severely injured, being that guest. I called and helped removed [sic] the guests we were currently loading.”

The employee also stated that he did not notice any discomfort from Rodriguez Zavala.

According to the report, the doctor who first examined Rodriguez Zavala at the ride said “based on her observations, she felt the broken femurs had a significant role in the fact that Kevin Rodriguez Zavala was able to reach the metal bar in front of him” where he hit his head.

However, she did say she did not think his disability was the sole reason why he struck his head on the metal bar in front of him.

“Dr. Marshall recalled that Javiliz Cruz-Robles kept repeating that “his mom’s going to kill me,” referring to a previous discussion that they were worried about him riding certain rides.

According to his parents, Carlos Rodriguez Ortiz and Anne Zavala, their son was born with spinal cord atrophy but suffered a hip dislocation in 2010 and a fractured femur in 2020. When investigators asked about the fractured femur, Rodriguez Ortiz said it happened at home but did not know exactly how his son was injured.

“Carlos Rodrigurez-Zavala said [Kevin’s] mother always told him not to ride the roller coasters, but he would never listen,” the report stated.

Meanwhile, Cruz-Robles said she had only just learned about her boyfriend’s hip injury and guessed that it could have caused him to come out of his seat.

With the death now being considered accidental, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has closed the case the determination that no criminal activity was involved in Rodriguez Zavala’s death.