New Lawsuit Filed Against Universal Orlando Over Injuries on Stardust Racers Roller Coaster

A Sanford woman is suing Universal Orlando, claiming she sustained permanent injuries while riding the Stardust Racers roller coaster at Epic Universe earlier this year.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, 49-year-old Sandi Streets alleges that her head “shook violently and slammed into her seat’s headrest” for the entire duration of the ride, which she rode on April 30, 2025. Streets claims the incident caused permanent injuries and is seeking damages of more than $50,000.

Her legal action follows a fatal incident involving 32-year-old Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who lost consciousness while riding Stardust Racers on September 17, 2025, and was later pronounced dead. According to an autopsy, Zavala died from “multiple blunt impact injuries.”

Streets’ lawsuit was filed the same day that attorney Ben Crump—who now represents Zavala’s family—held a press conference in downtown Orlando. Crump and his legal team demanded that Stardust Racers remain closed until an investigation is completed into how Zavala lost consciousness and died.

Crump stated that witnesses reported seeing Zavala’s head repeatedly slamming against a metal bar during the ride.

Nicholas Spetsas, the attorney representing Streets, raised concerns over the roller coaster’s restraint system, describing it as minimal and potentially hazardous. He compared it to a basic car seatbelt.

Riders on Stardust Racers are secured using a lap restraint—similar to the system used on Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure—rather than over-the-shoulder restraints.

“That’s extremely dangerous when you’re traveling at high speed,” Spetsas said. “If you got into a car wreck and you didn’t have a shoulder restraint, the insurance company would have a big issue.”

“There were no shoulder restraints,” he added. “Your neck and torso are not restrained.”

Spetsas said the purpose of Streets’ lawsuit is to help make “the ride safer for everyone.” He argued that Universal should have warned guests about the “unreasonable, dangerous” conditions and emphasized that “you can’t just put up warning signs and then call it a day.”

The state records up to July 15, 2025 do not account for what happened to Streets.

Stardust Racers is a high-speed roller coaster that officially debuted with the opening of the Epic Universe theme park on May 22, 2025. It was also operational during the park’s soft opening period, which began for guests in April 2025. The attraction is a dual-launch coaster that reaches speeds up to 62 miles per hour and climbs to heights of 133 feet. As of now, the ride remains closed.

UPDATE (September 27, 2025, at 11:25 PM): A settlement has been reached over Streets’ injury claims caused by Stardust Racers. Click here for more details.