police called - hole in the sand (2024)

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Who was the 7-year-old who died in the sand hole? ›

More than one month after their daughter Sloan Mattingly, 7, died due to injuries sustained while she was trapped in a Florida sand hole, the couple are looking back on that devastating day. "It was kind of a blur, and it's probably maybe my mind protecting myself," Jason told Good Morning America March 14.

Sloan Mattingly, 7, and her brother, Maddox Mattingly, 9, were both buried when the hole they were digging at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach collapsed on Feb. 20, authorities said. Maddox was uninjured but Sloan died at the hospital, her family and police said.

The parents of Sloan Mattingly — the 7-year-old Indiana girl who died after getting trapped in a collapsed sand hole on a Florida beach in February — are speaking out about their tragedy in hopes to save other families from this hidden danger.

Sloan Mattingly: Parents of girl who died after being buried by sand set up campaign to prevent similar tragedies. The seven-year-old was reportedly buried for around 20 minutes after a hole she was digging with her nine-year-old brother collapsed in February.

The girl and her brother were trapped in a deep hole they were digging at a South Florida beach. A young girl has died and her brother has been hospitalized after they fell into a hole they had dug in the sand at a beach Tuesday in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.

Sloan Mattingly's mom and dad, Therese and Jason, say their little girl had been playing with her brother Maddox as the pair dug a hole in the sand for hours at Lauderdale-by-the Sea beach when tragedy struck. Sloan died after being buried inside when the walls caved in around her.

Sloan was completely buried underneath the boy, who was buried up to his chest in the sand. A spokesperson for Pompano Beach Fire Rescue said the hole was about five or six feet deep. After being taken to a nearby hospital, Sloan died, while her brother remains hospitalized in critical condition.

Later that day, vacationers Sloan Mattingly, 7, and brother Maddox Mattingly, 9, ended up getting trapped in the sand hole. Sloan died, and her brother was reported to be in stable condition as of Wednesday, after the pair were brought to Broward General Medical Center following the collapse of the roughly 6 ft.

Last month, 7-year-old Sloan and her 9-year-old brother, Maddox, were digging in the sand at a Fort Lauderdale-area beach when things took a devastating turn. The sand hole suddenly caved in on them, and Sloan was completely buried beneath her brother.

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What happened to the Mattingly family? ›

Both children were pulled from the hole and rushed to the hospital in critical condition but Sloan Mattingly died from her injuries. "It's still such an upsetting episode to have been there," Defina said. The Mattingly children were vacationing with their family from Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Even if the hole is not very deep, it can still be dangerous. The weight of the sand can cause a person to become trapped, and they may not be able to escape without assistance. This is especially true for children, who are more vulnerable to becoming trapped in sand.