A man at Universal Orlando Resort's newest theme park has died from blunt impact while riding a roller coaster, according to a medical examiner's ruling released Thursday.
The Orange County medical examiner Joshua Stephany determined the death was accidental following an autopsy of the man, who was in his 30s. Stephany provided no additional details about how the man died or where the injury occurred.
The death occurred on Wednesday at Epic Universe when the unidentified man was unresponsive after riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando. Emergency responders took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Stardust Racers attraction is marketed as "a breathtaking, dual-launch coaster reaching incredible speeds up to 62 mph," according to Universal's website.
A Universal Orlando Resorts spokesperson released a statement regarding the man's death.
"We are devastated by this tragic event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest's loved ones," the statement said. "We are fully cooperating with Orange County and the ongoing investigation. The attraction remains closed."
Following the autopsy results, Universal declined to provide additional comments beyond their initial statement, citing the ongoing investigation.
Industry expert Dennis Speigel, CEO and founder of consulting firm International Theme Park Services, called the medical examiner's findings surprising and said they created more questions than answers.
4th Universal Park in Florida
Epic Universe opened to the public in May, featuring five themed sections and a 500-room hotel. The park is the first major traditional theme park to debut in Florida since Universal Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, though Universal did launch the Volcano Bay water park in Orlando in 2017.The addition brings Universal's total Florida park count to four, including the original Universal Studios location.
Florida's major theme parks operate under different safety regulations than smaller venues and fairs. While smaller attractions must undergo state safety inspections, large parks like Walt Disney World and Universal conduct their own internal inspections and follow proprietary safety protocols, though they must report any injuries or deaths to state authorities.
During the second quarter of this year, Disney World, Universal, and SeaWorld Orlando filed a dozen incident reports with the state. These ranged from a 78-year-old woman becoming unresponsive on a children's carousel at SeaWorld to an 87-year-old woman with pre-existing conditions losing consciousness on Disney's Animal Kingdom Dinosaur attraction.
Since Epic Universe's May opening, three incidents have been reported to the state, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. In separate incidents, a 63-year-old man with pre-existing conditions became dizzy and experienced an altered state of consciousness, while a 47-year-old woman with medical conditions experienced visual disturbances and numbness after riding Stardust Racers. Additionally, a 32-year-old man reported chest pains following his experience on the Hiccup's Wing Gliders attraction.
The death at Epic Universe follows another recent roller coaster death in Ohio, where 38-year-old Arntanaro Nelson of Wilmington was struck by a ride at Kings Island theme park. Nelson entered a restricted area to retrieve lost keys and was hit by the Banshee roller coaster, with his death ruled an accident by the Hamilton County coroner's office.