Entertainment
Disability played no role in man’s death after riding Universal roller coaster, lawyers say
Lawyers representing the family of a 32-year-old man who died after riding on a Universal Orlando Resort roller coaster said he likely died as a result of an injury incurred during the ride and that his disability played no role in his death.
Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, who had a spinal disability and used a wheelchair, became unresponsive while on the coaster last week at the recently opened Epic Universe theme park in Florida. He was transported to a local hospital and later died.
Attorneys for Zavala’s family said Monday they believe he hit his head on a restraint during the coaster’s downward thrusts and that he was unconscious for most of the ride. He had no medical issues before boarding the ride, they said.
Natalie Jackson, another of the family’s attorneys, said they believe Zavala suffered repeated head strikes based on what witnesses have said. “His disability did not kill him,” Jackson said. “It was the blunt force trauma.”
The medical examiner for the Orlando area ruled the cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries and said the manner of death was an accident.
At a news conference in Orlando, the lawyers also took issue with a top Universal executive last weekend saying in a note to employees that “internal findings” showed the ride worked as it should have.
“They are quick to say that, ‘Well, the ride functioned as it was supposed to. Everything works properly.’ Well, just because it didn’t malfunction does not lead us to believe that there were not safety issues because we know something caused him to die,” said famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, whose law firm is representing the family.
Karen Irwin, Universal Orlando Resort’s president, said in her note that the internal findings showed ride systems functioned normally, equipment was intact and Universal workers followed the proper procedures. Investigators with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said on September 19 that their initial findings align with that of the theme park.
The roller coaster remains closed as Universal conducts a comprehensive review of the ride with its manufacturer.
“Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do,” Irwin said.
The ride involved in Zavala’s death, called Stardust Racers, is a dual-launch coaster that reaches speeds up to 62 mph.
Epic Universe was the first major theme park to open in Florida in more than 25 years when it welcomed visitors just before Memorial Day weekend
The first trailer for The Odyssey has sparked major discussion online, with the reaction becoming far more intense than many fans expected.
Director Christopher Nolan is known for highly praised films, so excitement around The Odyssey was already huge before the teaser arrived.
However, soon after the trailer was released, it became one of the most disliked videos connected to Nolan on YouTube.
A large part of the backlash came from online rumours about Elliot Page possibly appearing in the movie.
Fans began sharing theories that Page could be playing Achilles after noticing certain moments in the trailer and discussing possible casting clues online.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed, the rumours quickly led to heated arguments across social media.
The trailer also faced criticism from some viewers who felt Nolan’s version of the classic Greek story looked too modern.
Others compared it to fantasy blockbusters that have already been released in recent years.
At the same time, many fans defended the teaser and praised its cinematography, scale and cast.
The movie stars Matt Damon as Odysseus alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway and Robert Pattinson.
Even with the backlash, the controversy has only made more people curious about the film before its July 2026 release.
Hosted by Lee Cowan. Featured: Concours d’LeMons, Iranian propaganda, Patti LaBelle.
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Lena Dunham is best known for her famous show, Girls, but that was not how her now-husband Luis Felber knew her as, when he first approached her.
The 40-year-old multihyphenated star gave a glimpse into her early relationship with the musician, 39, at a Famesick book tour event with former costar Rita Wilson.
Dunham recalled, “The thing that was so amazing about meeting him, he’d never seen Girls,” sharing that Felber had texted her on Instagram, asking, “Do you think, do you think you could bear to eat dinner with this person?”
The Too Much writer revealed that her husband had assumed she was a curve model and “I went, ‘That is the loveliest thing I’ve ever heard,’ ” she told Wilson.
Wilson jokingly added that it could be the truth, urging Dunham to call the famous plus-sized model Ashley Graham, to which she replied, “Well, I’m going to call her after this and see what she thinks I’ve got to do.”
Shedding light on Felber’s early approach to Dunham, she added that he “didn’t seem to come with a lot of preconceived ideas about who I was. He was present and interested but not too interested.”
Dunham then went on to call her husband “really amazing.”
The couple first met in 2021 after being set up for a blind date, and soon moved in together, going on to marry the same year in September.
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ trailer sparks major backlash online
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