In the final months before Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit permanently shuts down, Universal has battled at least two lawsuits from riders who say they got hurt on the coaster and suffered traumatic brain injuries.
A federal lawsuit was filed last week by Yolian Vargas Velez in U.S. District Court’s Orlando division following her 2024 trip. Her attorney said he settled a similar lawsuit complaint this week in state court over a 2023 injury.
“While riding the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Yolian Vargas Velez experienced the roller coaster’s unreasonably violent movements and unreasonably dangerous acceleration and gravitational forces, which, in turn caused (her) head to shake violently and strike forcefully against her seat’s headrest,” the newest lawsuit said.
Vargas Velez believes she hit her head multiple times against the headrest and her head also wobbled from side to side throughout the ride, said her attorney Justin Bailey who spoke to WDWNT in an interview.
The Universal Studios ride “was kind of a blur to her,” Bailey said. “As soon as she was off, she started experiencing symptoms consistent with brain injury: Nausea, dizziness, photophobia. She also felt pain in her neck, pain in her head, and eventually she passed out.”
The lawsuit accused Universal of operating a dangerous ride without any head or neck restraint to protect riders on a coaster that hits up to 65 mph. “This roller coaster’s only restraint is a lap-bar,” the lawsuit said.
After the ride, Bailey said she reported her injuries to Universal in the park but as a native Spanish speaker, she appeared to have struggled with the language barrier. Through the lawsuit’s discovery process, Bailey said he will learn more about Universal’s response.
“So she went back to her room. She was staying at the Cabana Bay, and it got so bad to the point where she called down to the front desk and requested medical assistance where there was some medical practitioner sent up to her room,” Bailey said. “She left the next day.”
Back in Puerto Rico, she was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury and multiple disc injuries to her cervical spine, her attorney said.
A year later, Vargas Velez still suffers from vertigo, radiating pain in her neck and severe mood swings that she never experienced before her injury, according to her attorney. Bailey said she is seeing a neurosurgeon.
Her prognosis is unknown since she is still experiencing symptoms.
“Our team handles a lot of brain injury cases. What we’ve learned is that this type of injury can heal over time but, but often doesn’t. Folks who sustain a TBI are often forced to live with the adverse effects of this injury for the rest of their lives,” Bailey said.
Her May 2024 injury is not mentioned in the quarterly theme park injury report released by the state. Florida’s major theme parks self-report visitors’ injuries if people are hurt or become sick on a ride and are hospitalized for at least 24 hours. In this case, Vargas Velez was not hospitalized for 24 hours, her attorney said.
Universal self-reported a handful of people suffering health episodes or injuries on the ride over the years. In 2023, for instance, an 18-year-old had a seizure, a 61-year-old had motion sickness while a 64-year-old woman was listed as having a “headache,” according to the state report that does not go into greater detail on the extent of visitors’ injuries or how they happened.
As for the other reported incidents on the state theme park injury report, Bailey called them “significant.”
“It was serious enough where they were hospitalized for at least 24 hours,” he said.
Bailey also represented Geriann Clem who sued Universal in state court last year. In that lawsuit, Clem said her head shook violently and she slammed her head on the headrest in 2023. Her injury was the one listed as a headache in the state injury report and was recently settled in court, according to Bailey who could not comment on the settlement terms.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit History
Other incidents have helped create the ride’s dubious reputation, like an injury in 2013 and multiple instances of riders having to be rescued after being stuck on the coaster, including an incident in 2023 where riders were stuck in the vertical position for nearly an hour.
Universal confirmed in late 2024 it will close Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit in early September to make way for an unannounced new attraction. Permits were submitted back in December of 2024 for the ride’s removal.
What sets the roller coaster apart is its musical soundtrack and visible location at Universal Studios Florida. However, the ride has recently come under increasing scrutiny as it ages, and eventually Universal decided to remove it entirely. A December announcement indicated it will close in the fall of 2025. The ride first opened in 2009.
Rumors have swirled of the coaster’s demise for a while, but sources close to WDWNT have reported that it’s soon to be replaced by a multi-launch Intamin coaster.
Have you taken a ride on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit? If so, what was your experience like? Let us know in the comments.
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