Safety is the No. 1 goal.
A roller coaster is supposed to give its riders thrills and chills, not a trip to the hospital. It should give a tourist area appeal, not a black eye. It shouldn’t become an issue in a political campaign, unless a candidate is using it for a silly photo op. And state inspectors are supposed to identify problems before they happen, not wondering just hours after an inspection if they missed something.
In short, the Sandblaster at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk represents a failure on multiple levels after it malfunctioned June 14.
The lead car in a three-car connection jumped the track, ejecting two passengers more than 30 feet to the ground. The second car went partially off the track while the third car remained connected. Two passengers still strapped into their seats in the first car, and six others stuck in the next two cars, had to be rescued by firefighters using a ladder truck. Nine of the 10 people involved were hospitalized, although thankfully, none of their injuries were life-threatening.
Unfortunately for Daytona Beach, the story gained national attention. Video footage of the car dangling off the track and the rescue went viral. One of the two passengers ejected told of her terrifying experience on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” while the other appeared on the syndicated TV show “Inside Edition.” That’s not the kind of publicity a tourist town wants.
What makes the incident particularly perplexing is that state inspectors from the Department of Agriculture had examined the ride that afternoon and given it a clean bill of health, allowing it to operate for the first time since it had been shut down May 17 following its previous inspection. The News-Journal’s Eileen Zaffiro-Kean reported that inspectors last month found eight violations, including a cracked track, excessive corrosion that included three holes in the structure, damaged restraints and latches that weren’t working, cracked bracing, and damaged seats.
(READ: Daytona roller coaster had history of shutdowns)
Since coming to the Boardwalk in 2013, the coaster has received several stop operation orders from the state after failing inspections.
The possible failure of the recent inspection to prevent the accident has political implications. Because Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam is running for the Republican nomination for governor, officials with the Florida Democratic Party have asked the department for all safety records for the Sandblaster. Earlier this month, Putnam had to answer for news that over a 13-month period in 2016-17 his department failed to conduct criminal background checks on applications for permits to carry a concealed weapon. Now he faces questions about why a coaster his employees had signed off on crashed just a few hours later.
Finger-pointing can wait pending a thorough and transparent accounting of what happened June 14. Safety is the No. 1 goal.
Amusement park rides have been part of Daytona Beach’s Boardwalk since the 1930s, but the attractions have fallen on hard times in recent years. A Ferris wheel that had been erected in 2010 was temporarily stopped by state inspectors in April 2014, and never reopened to paying customers; it came down in June 2015. Damage from two hurricanes in back-to-back years and financial struggles of the owners have placed the future of the Boardwalk rides in doubt. Last year, the city stepped in and arranged for replacement rides to maintain the Boardwalk’s tradition.
The Sandblaster accident is a challenge to those efforts. The public must have full confidence that the rides are safe, and that state inspections are reliable.