Man dies from blunt impact injuries after riding coaster at new Florida amusement park Epic Universe

By JEFF MARTIN and MIKE SCHNEIDER ORLANDO Fla AP A man who was unresponsive after riding a roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort s newest park died from blunt impact injuries a therapeutic examiner declared Thursday Related Articles Teen girl s body determined in impounded car registered to the singer d vd Toyota and Hyundai recall more than million vehicles for seat belt panel display problems As immigration arrests spike in Chicago activists escalate tactics to fight back Trump administration to close Miami organ donation group it calls failing U S Army helicopter from Joint Base Lewis-McChord crashes in Washington state Joshua Stephany the physiological examiner for the Orlando area ruled the death an accident after performing an autopsy The announcement from Stephany did not mention any details about the injuries including where on the body they were unveiled The man in his s was identified unresponsive after riding the coaster at Epic Universe on Wednesday the Orange County Sheriff s Office in Orlando explained He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead Dennis Speigel CEO and founder of consulting firm International Theme Park Services called the autopsy s conclusion pretty shocking and he announced it raised more questions than it answered Was it the head or the chest Was he banging around Was he in his seat properly Speigel revealed Was it an accident caused by the ride or him doing something The anatomical examiner s office didn t respond to an email seeking further details on the injuries The roller coaster involved was Stardust Racers Universal functionaries declared in a comment It s described on the resort s website as a breathtaking dual-launch coaster reaching incredible speeds up to mph kph We are devastated by this tragic event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest s loved ones a Universal Orlando Resorts spokesperson mentioned in a announcement We are fully cooperating with Orange County and the ongoing research The attraction remains closed After the autopsy was disclosed Universal revealed it couldn t comment beyond its earlier report because of the ongoing analysis Universal opened the park in May It has five themed sections and a -room hotel It s the first major traditional theme park to open in Florida since when Universal Islands of Adventure debuted though Universal opened a themed Orlando water park Volcano Bay in The addition of Epic Universe brought the total number of parks at the Florida resort to four including Universal Studios Florida s largest theme parks are exempt from state safety inspections unlike smaller venues and fairs Instead the largest theme parks like Walt Disney World and Universal conduct their own inspections and have their own protocols but they must statement to the state any injury or death In the second quarter of this year there were a dozen reports from Disney World Universal and SeaWorld Orlando They ranged from a -year-old woman becoming unresponsive on a child-friendly carousel at SeaWorld to an -year-old woman with a preexisting condition losing consciousness after going on the Dinosaur ride at Disney s Animal Kingdom Since Epic Universe opened in May there have been three reports made In May a -year-old man with a preexisting condition experienced dizziness and an altered state of consciousness and a -year-old woman with a preexisting condition had a visual disturbance and numbness after going on the Stardust Racers coaster on separate days A -year-old man experienced chest pains after going on the Hiccup s Wing Gliders ride according to the Florida Department of Agriculture Consumer Services Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky mikeysid bsky social