VIDEO: Two riders fall 34 feet when Daytona Beach roller coaster derails

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA — A terrifying ride for ten thrill seekers.

Two riders were taken to Halifax Health Medical Center Thursday night when the roller coaster they were on derailed, sending them plummeting 34 feet to the ground.

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This woman saw it happen.

“I just saw it fall off but I just thought it was just part of the ride like just going upside down because we were kind of far away. And then we heard like a big bang and people screaming like they were hurt.”

The roller coaster is called the Sand Blaster. According to the Daytona Beach Fire Department, the coaster flew off the tracks around 8:15 p.m. with 10 passengers on board. Four were in the front car, which was dangling above the ground.  Four others  were in the second car and two more were riding in the third car.

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“Two of which fell from the front car to the ground from approximately a 34 foot height,” Daytona Beach Fire Department spokesperson Sasha Staton said. “The other two were dangling from the front car.”

The two riders who fell were conscious and breathing when paramedics arrived but are on trauma alert. The extent of the other injuries are unknown.

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“The front two passengers had to be rescued by firefighters on the ground using ladders and tech rescue equipment to successfully extricate them from the car.”

Investigators are working to figure out what caused the coaster to derail. According to News Journal Online, the Sand Blaster opened in Daytona Beach in 2013 after being bought from a closed amusement park in Delaware. The ride was 40-year-old at the time of purchase.

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