Inspectors found previous problems with coaster

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on a roller coaster derailment in Florida (all times local):

1:20 p.m.

A month before a roller coaster in Florida derailed, sending two riders plummeting to the ground, state inspectors had found problems with the ride and ordered it taken out of service.

State inspection reports released to The Associated Press on Friday show that inspectors last month found excessive corrosion, a damaged seat and a crack in the track.

Those problems, though, were corrected by the time of a follow-up inspection on Thursday, according to the reports.

Only hours after Thursday's inspection, the coaster derailed, sending two riders plummeting and requiring the rescue of eight other passengers.

State investigators are examining the cause.

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12:10 p.m.

A spokeswoman says a hospital received nine patients from a roller coaster accident in Florida that sent two riders plummeting to the ground and required the rescue of eight others.

Tangela Boyd, a spokeswoman for Halifax Health Medical Center said Friday that the hospital wouldn't provide updates on their conditions due to privacy concerns. Officials had originally said six people were taken to the hospital.

The cause of the accident on the Sand Blaster coaster on the Daytona Beach Boardwalk is under investigation.

State officials say the roller coaster passed a state inspection only hours before the derailment.

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12:05 p.m.

Roller coaster databases show a coaster that derailed in Florida, sending two riders plummeting to the ground, had operated in four other locations in its four-decade history.

Two riders fell and eight others had to be rescued Thursday night from the Sand Blaster coaster, which opened at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk in 2013.

Before that, it was at the Blue Diamond Amusement Park in New Castle, Delaware where the ride was called the Blue Diamond Streak.

According to Ultimate Rollercoaster.com, the coaster operated at DelGrosso's Amusement Park in Tipton, Pennsylvania, and before that, the coaster was at Legend City in Phoenix, Arizona.

It originated at Adventureland Park in Addison, Illinois.

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11 a.m.

Florida officials say a roller coaster passed a state inspection only hours before it derailed and sent two riders plummeting to the ground.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokeswoman Jennifer Meale said Friday that the Sand Blaster at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk had been seen Thursday by state inspectors.

Meale's statement says the roller coaster "was found in compliance with state law." It says the agency is investigating the cause, and says "anyone who should be held accountable will be held accountable."

Daytona Beach Fire officials say two riders fell 34 feet (10 meters) to the ground when their car derailed and was left dangling from the track. They were hospitalized along with four other people who had been on the ride Thursday evening.

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6:30 a.m.

Authorities say two riders fell 34 feet (10 meters) to the ground when a roller coaster derailed and eight others had to be pulled to safety high above the Daytona Beach Boardwalk.

Daytona Beach Fire spokeswoman Sasha Staton says the front car came off the tracks Thursday night, and two of its four passengers suffered traumatic injuries falling to the ground. Firefighters extricated two others from the dangling car.

She says six of the 10 riders were hospitalized Thursday night. She said the extent of their injuries wasn't immediately known.

She also says the cause of the accident is being investigated.

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This story corrects attribution of statement in 11 a.m. item from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to spokeswoman Jennifer Meale, not Commissioner Adam Putnam

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

(RNN) – Firefighters were called to rescue riders on a roller coaster that derailed in Daytona Beach, FL, on Thursday, with two falling 34 feet to the ground after being ejected.

In pictures posted to the Daytona Beach Fire Department’s official Twitter account, one car could be seen completely dangling off the track.

The department said 10 riders in total were rescued, six of whom were taken to the hospital. It said the extent of the injuries were "unknown."

The two riders who were ejected entirely from their car were “alert and not seriously injured,” the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.

The coaster which derailed is the Sand Blaster, a three-car, sit-down ride that operates on a winding steel track.

It opened in August 2013 at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk.

Copyright 2018 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.