Politics

Lawyer Ben Crump says Universal missed red flags that Stardust Racers was not safe

Published

2 months ago

September 30, 2025

The attorney for the family of a man who died after riding an Epic Universe roller coaster says Universal missed warning signs that Stardust Racers was unsafe.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, died Sept. 17. Ben Crump, his family’s lawyer, said Rodriguez Zavala suffered multiple blunt force trauma after hitting his head repeatedly on the coaster’s metal bar starting on the first dip in the ride.

Several people who rode the roller coaster at the Epic Universe have come forward to complain about the restraints and how they were thrown around the ride, Crump said at a press conference Tuesday.

“Since the family went public, multiple riders have come forward reporting their own injuries on the Stardust Races Rollercoaster. These injuries are consistent — problems with restraints, riders being thrown forward, hitting in hard structures,” Crump said. “This shows that Kevin’s case was not an isolated incident.”

Seminole County resident Sandi Streets sued Universal on Sept. 24, saying her “head shook violently and slammed into her seat’s headrest throughout the duration of the ride” when she rode Stardust Racers April 30 during previews before the Epic Universe theme park’s May 22 grand opening.

Streets’ lawsuit was settled Sept. 26 for undisclosed terms and voluntarily dismissed, according to court records.

“They won’t be able to silence everybody,” Crump said about the lawsuit being settled.

Universal Orlando Resort’s President Karen Irwin said that the ride had been functioning properly and “equipment was intact” from beginning to end of the ride in her employee memo.

Crump challenged how Rodriguez Zavala could have died if everything was working properly.

“If there were design issues, that should have been addressed,” Crump said Tuesday. “The fact that they continue to tell us where there was nothing that malfunctioned, everything worked as it was supposed to work … that still does not absolve you from liability and accountability if there were safety issues.”

The emerging complaints were from people who did not have disabilities, Crump said. Rodriguez Zavala, known for his independence and his love of theme parks, used a wheelchair because of a spinal cord disability he had since birth.

Two other cases of people being hurt on Stardust Racers were disclosed in the quarterly state injury theme park report in July. A 63-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman both went to the hospital for at least 24 hours after complaining of chest pain and dizziness, the state report said.

Florida’s major theme parks are required to self-report guest issues if people are hurt or sick on a ride and require at least 24 hours of hospitalization. The statewide report doesn’t contain a narrative on what happened or describe people’s health issues in great detail. Some lawyers have criticized the state’s report for a lack of transparency.

Crump’s legal team wants to advocate to change how theme park injuries are reported to the public.

“We are seeing that large companies like Universal self-report and self-police themselves with respect to any type of government oversight,” said Paul Grinke, a Managing Attorney at Ben Crump Law. “We will be calling upon greater government oversight. … We are in open communications with state and local officials.”

The family’s attorneys said they are also working with Universal to inspect the coaster. But they are still waiting to get surveillance footage from the ride when Rodriguez Zavala died, in what was a chaotic scene.

“With respect to restraints, we and our experts are going to look at everything from the design to materials on the seat,” Grinke said. “Should there have been more restraints? Should there have been different restraints? Should there have been special restraints for someone in Kevin’s condition? We’re going to look at everything from top to bottom.”

Universal did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. But Irwin previously said in the memo, “The attraction remains closed as we continue through a comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record. Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do.”

Universal has dealt with safety concerns after opening a major expansion before.

A handful of visitors and Universal employees felt electrical shocks at Universal’s Volcano Bay water park in 2019. The incident was later connected to electrical flaws during the construction of the water park that opened in 2017, according to federal government records.

At Volcano Bay, Universal also had a history of more than 100 people getting hurt on the Punga Racers water slide, court records showed. A man broke his neck on the attraction and sued in 2019, which revealed some of the problems on the water slide that eventually forced Universal to change the design.

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Politics

Ron DeSantis says GOP must go on offense ahead of Midterms to bring back ‘complacent’ voters

Published

27 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

May Greene

Gov. Ron DeSantis is continuing to warn Republicans that next year’s Midterm contests may not go their way if the party doesn’t change course.

He recommends that Republicans make a strong case for what they will do if they somehow retain control of Congress next year, given that “in an off-year Midterm, the party in power’s voters tend to be more complacent.”

But DeSantis, who himself served nearly three terms in Congress before resigning to focus on his campaign for Governor in 2018, says House Republicans haven’t accomplished much, and they need to be proactive in the time that’s left.

“I just think you’ve got to be bold. I think you’ve got to be strong. And I think one of the frustrations with the Congress is, what have they done since August till now? They really haven’t done anything, right?” DeSantis explained on “Fox & Friends.”

“I’d be like, every day, coming out with something new and make the Democrats go on the record, show the contrast.”

The Governor said the economy and immigration are two issues that would resonate with voters.

On immigration, DeSantis believes his party should remind voters that President Donald Trump stopped the “influx” of illegal border crossers given passage when Joe Biden was in power.

After providing contrast to some of his policy wins through the end of 2023 in Florida, DeSantis suggested that the GOP needs to blame the opposition party regarding continued economic struggles.

“Democrats, they caused a lot of this with the inflation and now they’re acting like … they had nothing to do with it,” he said.

DeSantis’ latest comments come after Tuesday’s narrow GOP victory in deep-red Tennessee, in yet another election where a candidate for Congress underperformed President Donald Trump.

Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn by roughly 9 points in the Nashville area seat. That’s less than half the margin by which Trump bested Kamala Harris in 2024. This is after U.S. Reps. Randy Fine and Jimmy Patronis won by smaller margins than expected in Special Elections in Florida earlier this year.

Though partisan maps protect the GOP in many cases, with just a seven-vote advantage over Democrats in Congress there is scant room for error.

Bettors seem to believe the House will flip, with Democratic odds of victory at 78% on Polymarket on Friday morning.

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Politics

Ron DeSantis again downplays interest in a second presidential run

Published

58 minutes ago

December 5, 2025

May Greene

The question won’t go away.

Gov. Ron DeSantis may be out of state, just like he was when he ran for President in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he’s eyeing another run for the White House.

“I’ve got my hands full, man. I’m good,” he told Stuart Varney during an in-studio interview Friday in New York City, responding to a question about his intentions.

DeSantis added that it was “not the first time” he got that question, which persists amid expectations of a crowded field of candidates to succeed President Donald Trump.

“I’m not thinking about anything because I think we have a President now who’s not even been in for a year. We’ve got a lot that we’ve got to accomplish,” the term-limited Governor told Jake Tapper last month when asked about 2028.

It may be for the best that DeSantis isn’t actively running, given some recent polls.

DeSantis, who ran in 2024 before withdrawing after failing to win a single county in the Iowa caucuses, has just 2% support in the latest survey from Emerson College.

Recent polling from the University of New Hampshire says he’ll struggle again in what is historically the first-in-the-nation Primary state. The “Granite State Poll,” his worst showing in any state poll so far, shows the Florida Governor with 3% support overall.

In January 2024, DeSantis had different messaging after leaving the GOP Primary race.

“When I was in Iowa, a lot of these folks that stuck with the President were very supportive of what I’ve done in Florida. They thought I was a good candidate,” DeSantis said. “I even had people say they think that I would even do better as President, but they felt that they owed Trump another shot. And so I think we really made a strong impression.”

But that was then, this is now.

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Politics

First place at stake for Jaguars vs. Colts

Published

1 hour ago

December 5, 2025

May Greene

How big is Sunday’s game for the Jaguars?

According to The Athletic, the Jaguars have an 83% chance of making the playoffs entering the weekend. That’s a pretty good bet. At 8-4, the Jaguars are currently in the third spot in the AFC.

However, Jacksonville stands a 42% chance of winning the division, slightly better than Sunday’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts (8-4), who sit at 34% to win the AFC South.

With both games against the Colts still on the schedule and matchups with the struggling New York Jets, a trip to Denver to face the surging Broncos, and the season finale at home against the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars need only to win the games they should win to make the playoffs.

Leaving the Colts games aside for the moment, if the Jaguars simply beat the Jets and Titans, they would have 10 wins. That is almost certainly enough to earn a postseason spot.

So, in a way, Sunday’s game against the Colts isn’t make-or-break. However, if the Jaguars want to win the division and host a playoff game, at least one win over the Colts is essential. Should the Jaguars win Sunday, they would hold a 1-game advantage over the Colts and, for the time being, hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Indianapolis.

By one metric, the Jaguars can increase their playoff odds to 95% with a victory on Sunday. Even with a loss, they are a good bet to make the playoffs as a wild-card team. But the chance to start the postseason with a home game is a powerful advantage, one that division winners enjoy.

Health will be a major factor in Sunday’s game. The Jaguars hope to have wide receiver/kick returner Parker Washington and defensive end Travon Walker back in the lineup. Both missed some or all of last week’s game but practiced in a limited basis this week. Starting left tackle Walker Little and safety Andrew Wingard remained in the concussion protocol this week. Starting right guard Patrik Mekari returned from concussion protocol on Wednesday.

The Colts are also dealing with injuries. Cornerback Sauce Gardner did not practice this week, while quarterback Daniel Jones continues to play with a fracture in his leg.

The key matchup could be strength vs. strength. Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in rushing with 1,282 yards, while the Jaguars are the league’s top rush defense, allowing opponents only 82.4 yards per contest. No running back has run for more than 90 yards against the Jaguars this season, and only one, Houston’s Woody Marks, has rushed for more than 70 yards in a game. Taylor averages nearly 107 yards per game this season.

The Jaguars last made the playoffs in 2022 in Doug Pederson’s first season as head coach. Liam Coen is trying to replicate the feat.

Interestingly, the game is one of three in the NFL this weekend with first place on the line.

The Baltimore Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. Both teams are 6-6, and the winner will lead the AFC North. The Chicago Bears (9-3) also travel to Green Bay to face the Packers (8-3-1), with the winner taking the top spot in the NFC North.

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