Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Absolutely horrible, for the victim, her surviving brother, and all who had to witness, and especially those who tried to revive the girl.
Article mentions that ocean rescue experts say this could have been prevented if there were lifeguards present, but nowhere does it mention what the parents were doing at the time. That was a HUGE hole the kids were digging, don't think it's fair to put all the blame on there not being lifeguards.
The GoFundMe for this family is now at over $100K (asking for $150K). I would not be surprised if the family also sues the beach/property owner/city.
A family from Indiana was enjoying a beach day at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea on Tuesday afternoon when the large hole the two young children were digging in the sand collapsed, burying them alive, officials say.
The children were identified by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Wednesday as 7-year-old Sloan Mattingly and her 9-year-old brother, Maddox. Sloan had no pulse when paramedics managed to extricate her from the sand, and later died in the hospital. Maddox was also buried but survived.
Ocean rescue experts say Sloan’s death might have been prevented if the beach was staffed with lifeguards. In other nearby coastal towns, lifeguards are instructed to tell beachgoers about the risks of digging in the sand, and to stop people from digging any deeper than either knee- to waist-height, or about 2 feet. The hole the two were digging on Tuesday was between 5 and 6 feet deep, officials say.
Sand is absolutely the most dangerous dirt to dig in because there is little to no adhesion of one sand particle to the other. I've inspected many "trenching" operations for safety per OSHA laws. I forget the exact depth allowed in sand without side supporting devices, but I think it's about 2 feet.
Anyone who digs a hole in sand that is over 3 to 4 feet with near-vertical sides and then gets in the hole/trench is just asking to be killed in a collapse of the sand. Of course, kids wouldn't be expected to know this, but adults should know better.
The GoFundMe for this family is now at over $100K (asking for $150K). I would not be surprised if the family also sues the beach/property owner/city.
]
Sue the beach? What's next, sue God?
They dug a deep hole in sand, while under the supervision of their parents. Tragedy occurred. Do people "sue nature" if a kid goes out too far in the water and gets swept away?
They dug a deep hole in sand, while under the supervision of their parents. Tragedy occurred. Do people "sue nature" if a kid goes out too far in the water and gets swept away?
I'm a lawyer who has brought many claims on behalf of injured persons and you know what? I agree with you completely.
The parents probably didn't understand the dangers. I didn't grow up anywhere near an ocean so I have limited experience. I've realized as beautiful as the beach experience is, it's a pretty scary place. Lots of dangers there. For instance apparently, you are supposed to bring something in case of jellyfish stings. I've never done that. Some of the sea creatures like Portuguese man o' war and stingrays can be pretty nasty and you're in the water with them or they float up on the beach. Then there are the rip tides that look harmless. In some places, the ocean water has flesh eating bacteria that can kill you or cause you to lose a few limbs.
What if the person drowns at the beach? Sue for that too?
Beach lawsuit will be unlikely especially if an adult helped dig the hole and if it was a non-lifeguard beach.
How much work is it to dig a 5-6 ft hole if you are are a kid with a 3 inch wide plastic shovel.
There’s no indication at all that the parents are planning to sue anyone. Are we just going to attack them for 10 pages based on assumptions and speculation?
The parents probably didn't understand the dangers. I didn't grow up anywhere near an ocean so I have limited experience. I've realized as beautiful as the beach experience is, it's a pretty scary place. Lots of dangers there.
100% agreed. I was in the Caribbean 2 months ago, just casually standing in the relatively calm ocean water with my 10 year old daughter, maybe 5-10 feet max from the shoreline. A fairly strong wave unexpectedly knocked us back onto the sand, and as a 200 pound man who landed directly on my shoulder, I dislocated it and was in excruciating pain. And this from what by all accounts looked like a pretty mild and calm ocean (and even the wave that hit us was not huge by any means). Be careful out there.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
