Stardust Racers Accident

[devinp267]

Now if trim breaks were added, would there have to be extensive testing before a reopen? If anyone knows.

 

[Brian G.]

Now if trim breaks were added, would there have to be extensive testing before a reopen? If anyone knows.

They are updating operational procedures and attraction signage to “reinforce existing ride warnings and physical eligibility requirements” for the coaster and other rides.

 

[devinp267]

They are updating operational procedures and attraction signage to “reinforce existing ride warnings and physical eligibility requirements” for the coaster and other rides.

So no, great news!!

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

Great news! I visit for the first time in a couple weeks and was really hoping they would get this straightened out.

Thanks for breaking the ice, Rhino. I didn't want to like... express my excitement so vocally necessarily, but I am going to Epic on 10/19 and 10/20 and i've been sitting here waiting for updates trying not to get my hopes up.

My friends have been saving for almost 2 full years to make this trip happen and we bought our tickets in October of 2024 for a ten day long Disney + Universal trip with HHN and MNSS included... so, to say we've been looking forward to this all year would be downplaying it to an incredible degree.

This thread was the first place to let me know, so i am super grateful to have been paying attention, despite the topic. Everyone should be really proud that this thread has conducted itself appropriately.

 

[Evan]

It’s also a strong testament to the safety of the ride, and that this was more than likely a very sad accident.

Universal would not be reopening so soon if any major changes and testing was needed.

 

[rhino4evr]

Thanks for breaking the ice, Rhino. I didn't want to like... express my excitement so vocally necessarily, but I am going to Epic on 10/19 and 10/20 and i've been sitting here waiting for updates trying not to get my hopes up.

My friends have been saving for almost 2 full years to make this trip happen and we bought our tickets in October of 2024 for a ten day long Disney + Universal trip with HHN and MNSS included... so, to say we've been looking forward to this all year would be downplaying it to an incredible degree.

This thread was the first place to let me know, so i am super grateful to have been paying attention, despite the topic. Everyone should be really proud that this thread has conducted itself appropriately.

Ha ha . As a coaster junkie, it’s my most anticipated ride at the park. So you bet I was upset when I heard it was closed:
When Top Thrill Dragster at cedar point closed I was a week out from my vacation.

Happy to see universal making adjustments to procedures… really curious what those will be .. no more wheelchair bound guests?
.. no more modified seats ?

Guess we will find out tomorrow.

I’m sure this family is still going to be compensated greatly for this horrendous loss.

 

[AustinT]

Reading through comments on some YouTube videos and the Universal subreddit, there’s quite an amount of people that are rather… unsympathetic

It was their choice of the scummy lawyer, his practices in spreading misinformation, stoking fear, and trying to rally the public against Universal that got the greatest backlash and really made people mad. I get it though. This isn't going to do anything positive for the theme park or disabled community and will likely result in some parks creating new, stricter guidelines which prohibits even more people from experiencing attractions.

 

[Jake S]

It was their choice of the scummy lawyer, his practices in spreading misinformation, stoking fear, and trying to rally the public against Universal that got the greatest backlash and really made people mad.

give me a break, dude

 

[akileese]

It was their choice of the scummy lawyer, his practices in spreading misinformation, stoking fear, and trying to rally the public against Universal that got the greatest backlash and really made people mad. I get it though. This isn't going to do anything positive for the theme park or disabled community and will likely result in some parks creating new, stricter guidelines which prohibits even more people from experiencing attractions.

This is exactly what I said to my wife. Despite their lawyer's tactics, which I really don't agree with at all. I remember hearing about Mack adding stricter guidance regarding being ambulatory for some of their other coasters in the wake of the accident. If that's the case, I have to imagine we'll see the same guidance here.

 

[Brian G.]

We have to be mindful of how we respond. While you can disagree with the lawyer, please keep in mind he's working in what he feels is the best interests of the family. Kevin isn't coming back, and the family wants answers. They deserve that - whether it's in their favor or not.

 

[Andysol]

HPFJ used to have pregnancy as a warning, now it’s a restriction. Along many other things like bag size and what’s aloud on the ride.

Hearing stuff like this makes me sad. I don’t know if it’s the case regarding pregnancy/riding here, but there are always reports that aren’t made fully public until discovery. I hope they didn't have to “discover” this. This stuff should be a reminder for ANY new attraction to play it safe for at least a couple years if you have any hesitation/concern.

A question I had regarding the lawyer's statement. He refers to 'the bar in front of them', what is that a reference to? Is he referring to the lap bar? I've ridden Stardust Racers about twenty times, and I'm having trouble imagining what that's a reference to on the ride vehicle.

Said this before and @Brian G. just clarified more. But take everything Crump says with a grain of salt. He’s controversial and sensationalizes extremely effectively. If you remember the phrase “hands up, don’t shoot” regarding Michael Brown (something that was never actually said but became common vernacular for years in civil rights protests); that was Crump. He’s that impactful.

He’s highly effective and extremely smart. He’s the type of guy you don’t really like because he deliberately misconstrues things a lot; but he’s the type of guy you want to hire in this exact situation. His responsibility isn’t to the theme park community. Or universal. Or the state of Florida. It’s to the family he represents. That’s his interest. And like I said earlier- he’s extremely efficient at both monetary and (more importantly for the community) policy changes being enacted if fault is found.
A dishonest lawyer is as predictable as afternoon showers in Florida in September. But a competent and effective one, which Crump is, is the more important part.

I know this is an unpopular opinion and to be clear, MOST LIKELY NOT relevant to this case at all....but I prefer (comfortable) over the shoulder restraints for intense looping coasters. I have no idea or inkling whether that would have made a difference in this case as we still have too much info we don't know.

I swear that half the intensity of Velocicoaster is in that ride restraint. I remember being shocked riding it for the first time “so… just legs and no backup restraint?” Personally love it.

I had a bad fall last October. My femur (which is the longest bone in the body) fractured and broke away from the hip and the hip also fractured.

Sorry this happened to you, brother. You know we all love you here so hearing something bad happening to you is always a bad day. But happy to hear you’ve recovered!

 

[JonsMovies]

Crump could be assuming he'll have a similar successful outcome to the last case like this which was the ICON Park drop tower incident. In reality, they're actually very different cases, where the operator of the tower was clearly at fault for what happened. So far thankfully, that does not seem to be the case with Universal. A terrible tragedy in both cases, but they shouldn't be compared to each other as they are very different.

 

[Disneyhead]

So the plan was to open it this afternoon. It was testing most of the morning.
But it is seriously raining here right now. Not Universal, but close, just as a reference.

 

[tommyhawkins]

We have to be mindful of how we respond. While you can disagree with the lawyer, please keep in mind he's working in what he feels is the best interests of the family. Kevin isn't coming back, and the family wants answers. They deserve that - whether it's in their favor or not.

This.

It is also quite possible to recognise and respect that Mr Crump is an extremely successful Personal Injury and Civil rights lawyer whilst disagreeing with his posturing on this case. If this had happened to a loved one and you genuinely wasn't sure what happened, you probably happily accept this "scummy" lawyer's help to get answers.
He may have been throwing out some red herrings with the rubbish about the metal bar that's impossible to touch, but most of the negative attitude toward crump seems to come with extreme prejudice.

Can I also just say, I watched a few of that Fireman's videos, and I would caution hanging on his every word, he was talking a lot of nonsense, and several of his points/theories were demonstrably wrong, including accusing Kevin's girlfriend of wrongdoing. He also didn't actually mention anything that he is uniquely qualified on, honestly there's better reporting on TMZ than the videos he put out.

 

[Mad Dog]

Looks like it's running for the public, according to the TP app., and a standby test by a TP poster. Looks like real long lines for everything in the park but Monsters with it's great capacity......Another typical Epic line day.