“A little before 5 p.m., we had a driver go down the beach ramp at International Speedway Boulevard and crash into the water,” said Tamra Malphurs, deputy chief of safety ocean rescue at Volusia County Beach. “He hit a tollbooth and went into the water,” he added.
The driver appeared to be suffering from an illness, Malphurs said without elaborating.
At least five people were taken to local hospitals as a precaution, including the four occupants of the vehicle and a child who was in the water at the time, Malphurs added. The boy was in stable condition Sunday afternoon, Malphurs told CNN.
Video obtained by CNN affiliate WKMG shows a sedan partially in the Daytona Beach water with visible damage to the front bumper and rear doors.
People who saw the car go through the toll booth and onto the sand said a group of at least 15 people jumped out of the way before the car hit the water.
A witness whose son was in the water said he drove off to try to find him when he saw where the vehicle was headed. Another witness said that people on the beach rushed to help and that there were adults with children in the car.
Authorities have not released information about the driver and say the investigation into the incident is ongoing.