A Mother Is Suing Universal and Mack Rides, Saying Her Son Lost Consciousness on Epic Universe's Stardust Racers

A mother is suing Universal Orlando and Mack Rides over Stardust Racers, the racing launch coaster in Epic Universe's Celestial Park. She says her son, a minor, lost consciousness on the ride and was injured while he was out.

WDW News Today reported the case on Thursday, October 1. The federal court docket we checked matches the filing and removal dates it reports.

Stardust Racers in Celestial Park at Epic Universe. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

What the lawsuit says

According to WDW News Today, the plaintiff, Jennifer Lundy, filed her complaint on August 17, 2026. The outlet reports that she "claimed that her minor son, who is referred to as 'L.L.' in the documents, lost consciousness as a result of forces generated on Stardust Racers on October 13, 2025."

The complaint, as WDW News Today describes it, says nothing restrained or supported the boy's head, neck or upper body while he was unconscious. It says he suffered head and facial injuries as well as orthopedic and spinal injuries, and needed medical help after the ride. Lundy calls the injuries severe and permanent.

She argues Universal owed guests a duty to operate the ride in a reasonably safe condition and to warn them when a ride is not safe. She is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and wants his medical care and treatment expenses paid. These are allegations, and no court has ruled on them. Universal's removal filing includes an answer from the state case, but that document is not posted on CourtListener and we have not reviewed it, so we cannot say how Universal responds to the claims.

Now it is a federal case

The suit started in Orange County Circuit Court. The federal docket, posted on CourtListener, shows Universal City Development Partners, the Universal Orlando company named in the suit, filed a notice of removal on September 18, 2026, moving the case to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

The case is listed as Lundy v. Universal City Development Partners, Ltd., No. 6:26-cv-02109, with Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG named as a defendant alongside Universal. On September 23, the judge ordered Universal to file a notice identifying its partners and their citizenship, a routine step in a case moved to federal court on the grounds that the parties are from different states or countries.

The federal docket for the case. Image: CourtListener

Not the first Stardust Racers lawsuit

WDW News Today notes that earlier suits over the coaster also claimed riders were hurt and alleged negligence in its design, operation, maintenance and control.

A rider also died last year. Kevin Rodriguez Zavala, 32, was found unconscious after his ride on Stardust Racers on September 17, 2025. WDW News Today reports that the medical examiner said he died of "multiple blunt impact injuries," and that the final report on his case found no criminal acts.

We will follow the federal case as Universal and Mack Rides file their responses.

Sources

• WDW News Today, Universal Sued After Child Loses Consciousness, Suffers Injuries on Stardust Racers at Epic Universe
• CourtListener, Lundy v. Universal City Development Partners, Ltd., 6:26-cv-02109 (M.D. Fla.)

Image credits: Universal Orlando Resort (Stardust Racers); CourtListener (docket screenshot).