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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A patron at one of the nation’s newest amusement parks has died after riding a roller coaster there, Florida authorities said.
The man in his 30s was found unresponsive after riding the coaster at Epic Universe on Wednesday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando said in a statement to The Associated Press. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The roller coaster involved is Stardust Racers, park officials said in a statement. It’s described on the park’s website as “a breathtaking, dual-launch coaster reaching incredible speeds up to 62 mph (100 kph).”
“We are devastated by this tragic event and extend our sincerest sympathies to the guest’s loved ones,” a Universal Orlando Resorts spokesperson said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with Orange County and the ongoing investigation. The attraction remains closed.”
No further details were immediately released early Thursday.
Universal opened the park in May. It has five themed sections and a 500-room hotel.
It’s the first major, traditional theme park to open in Florida since 1999, when Universal Islands of Adventure debuted, though Universal opened a themed Orlando water park, Volcano Bay, in 2017.
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 report 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 78-year-old woman becoming unresponsive on a child-friendly carousel at SeaWorld to an 87-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 63-year-old man with a preexisting condition experienced dizziness and “an altered state of consciousness” and a 47-year-old woman with a preexisting condition had a “visual disturbance” and numbness after going on the Stardust Racers coaster, on separate days. A 32-year-old man experienced chest pains after going on the Hiccup’s Wing Gliders ride, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.
