Family of man who died on Universal roller coaster issue statement as they 'demand the truth'

The family of a man who died on a roller coaster at a Universal theme park have vowed to get answers on how he died in an emotional statement.

Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after becoming unresponsive while riding the Stardust Racers ride at the Epic Universe park in Orlando last week, 17 September.

A medical examiner later determining the 32-year-old had died from 'multiple blunt impact injuries,' and ruled his death as an accident.

His family have now spoken out about his tragic death for the first time, revealing they've enlisted the help of civil rights attorney Ben Crump to conduct an independent investigation into what happened.

Paul Grinke, an attorney who works for Crump's firm, announced they would be working with experts in a number of different areas, such as construction and design, as well as being advised by disability experts as part of their investigations.

The 32-year-old died on 17 September (GoFundMe)

During the press conference, Crump told reporters: "We have to know what happened. We have to get answers.

"We will find out what happened here, and we'll try to make sure this never happens again, so that another grieving family is not standing in front of you," Grinke added.

Zavala, who used a wheelchair due to being born with a spinal cord atrophy, 'loved theme parks' and had ridden roller coasters 'many times before without incident.'

His mother, Ana Zavala had her remarks translated from Spanish: "I never put any limits on my son, regardless of what condition he had -- he had no limits.

"He was raised like his siblings, no different. He was completely independent."

According to his mother, her son had been excited to attend Epic Universe with his girlfriend who had bought the tickets and was with him on the ride.

She said: "That last day, on the 17th, he was extremely happy."

The 32-year-old reportedly hit his head off the metal on the ride (GoFundMe)

Natalie Jackson, another attorney at the firm, told reporters Zavala had been at the front of the roller coaster when he 'suffered repeated head injuries during the ride and was unconscious for the majority' of it, adding that he had hit himself against the metal on the ride.

Meanwhile, internal investigations conducted by Universal found that the ride had been functioning as expected, according to Universal Orlando Resort President Karen Irwin.

She told staff in an internal memo that 'few moments have been as difficult as this one', while praising them for their 'resilience, compassion and professionalism' during throughout the tragic incident.

The ride was functioning as expected during the incident (Thomas Simonetti/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The attraction remains closed as we continue to work through a comprehensive review process in cooperation with the ride manufacturer of record," she said.

"Safety is, and always will be, at the forefront of everything we do."

A Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesperson confirmed their findings 'align with those shared by Universal after monitoring the same tests and reviewing the same information.'