ORLANDO, Fla. – A man who died after riding a roller coaster at Epic Universe severely fractured one of his thigh bones and had a pre-existing dislocation of his other thigh bone, a newly released autopsy shows.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unresponsive after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster on Sept. 17 and was later pronounced dead.
Rodriguez Zavala was born with spinal atrophy and used a wheelchair, according to his family.
His girlfriend, who sat next to Rodriguez Zavala on the roller coaster, told investigators with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office that he did not show signs of discomfort after a ride attendant locked the lap bar restraint in place following four attempts to push it down.
[WATCH: Incident report sheds new light on Stardust Racers death at Epic Universe]
As the coaster descended the first drop, Rodriguez Zavala “partially came up out of his seat” and repeatedly hit his head on a metal bar in front of them, according to his girlfriend.
Rodriguez Zavala died accidentally from blunt impact injuries to his face and neck, according to the medical examiner.
The autopsy revealed that Rodriguez Zavala’s right femur had been newly fractured with muscle lacerations and bleeding.
A doctor who was waiting to board the attraction told sheriff’s investigators that Rodriguez Zavala’s “femur was completely broken in half and resting on the back of the chair.”
Rodriguez Zavala’s left femur, which had been previously fractured and surgically repaired 2021, remained dislocated, the autopsy report stated.
“[The doctor] 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 the assembly struck his head,” an investigator with the sheriff’s office wrote.
Neither the autopsy nor the law enforcement report indicates how Rodriguez Zavala may have broken his right femur.
Rodriguez Zavala, who used a wheelchair, was paralyzed from a spinal cord disorder he had since birth, the autopsy report shows.
[WATCH: Attorney, family of man who died after riding Epic Universe roller coaster condemn reopening the attraction]
People paralyzed by spinal cord injuries lose strength in their leg bones and are at greater risk for fractures from minor stresses, according to a 2014 study by Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Although Rodriguez Zavala’s autopsy does not mention bone density, it noted his lower extremities were atrophic, or thinning.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney who represented Rodriguez Zavala’s family, previously denied that the 32-year-old’s prior medical issues played a role in his death.
Crump has not spoken publicly about Rodriguez Zavala’s death since holding his most recent of three news conferences on Oct 6, and the famed civil rights attorney has not filed any litigation related to the matter.
Universal Orlando reopened the Stardust Racers roller coaster a little more than two weeks after Rodriguez Zavala’s death, following what the company described as an extensive review.
“(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,” Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin wrote in a letter to employees before the ride reopened.