What was supposed to be a fun day at the beach ended in tragedy when a dune collapsed and buried a 17-year-old under several feet of sand at a national park in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Rangers at Cape Hatteras National Seashore responded to 911 calls at 2 p.m. on Saturday after his family discovered the Virginia teen trapped in a hole near off-road vehicle ramp 49, CBS reported.
Teen dies when hole, sand dune collapse at NC coast, officials say https://t.co/4N18f2r1bI pic.twitter.com/TtpkyxQI8b
— CBS 17 (@WNCN) May 6, 2023
National Park Service said in a statement.
Prior to arriving on scene, family and friends went looking for the teenager and found him buried under several feet of sand, apparently caused by portions of the adjacent dune collapsing into the hole. Rangers worked with family members to extract the teen while simultaneously performing CPR. Dare County Emergency Medical Services personnel and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue staff assisted with extracting the teenager from the hole and administering CPR. Unfortunately, resuscitation efforts were not successful. The incident is under investigation.
In this image provided by the Town of Kill Devil Hills, N.C., David Elder, ocean rescue supervisor for Kill Devil Hills, N.C, stands in a hole he estimates to be 7 feet deep on Sunday, May 15, 2022. The town on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has issued a plea to beachgoers about the dangers of digging holes on the beach and to cover them up to prevent problems. (Town of Kill Devil Hills via AP)
“Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends,” said David Hallac, superintendent of the National Parks of Eastern North Carolina “We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff.”
The accident comes just weeks away from the anniversary of the death of a Union, Maine, teen that was killed at the beach in Toms Rivers, New Jersey.
Tonight on @newscentermaine we're remembering Levi Caverly. The 18-year-old from Union died when a hole he was digging on NJ beach collapsed. Those that knew him well say he had a quirky sense of human, was a skilled drummer, and loved God to the fullest
📸Todd Caverly pic.twitter.com/sStP5GniCi
— Sean Stackhouse (@StackhouseNCME) May 19, 2022
Levi Caverly, 18, and his 17-year-old sister were digging a hole on the beach when it collapsed, trapping the siblings, CBS noted. Rescuers were able to save Caverly’s sister, but the 18-year-old was killed.
In addition to being a danger to people, large holes dug by beachgoers can delay or damage rescue vehicles on the beach, as well as trap sea turtles and their hatchlings, said David Elder, ocean rescue supervisor for Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Elder has warned people not to dig such holes, NPR reported.
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