On a sunny afternoon in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, a beach activity turned fatal for seven-year-old Sloan Mattingly, and left her nine-year-old brother, Maddox Mattingly, injured. 

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office and eyewitness accounts, on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at around 3 p.m., the children, vacationing with their parents from Indiana, found themselves in peril when the deep hole they had been excavating collapsed. 

The hole, estimated to be five to six feet deep, caved in without warning, trapping Sloan beneath the sand and partially burying Maddox up to his chest. 

Bystanders and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office described a frantic rescue operation involving over a dozen people, including emergency responders from Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, who worked tirelessly to free the children.

Despite the immediate and desperate efforts, which were captured in cell phone videos by onlookers, Sloan was not breathing by the time paramedics reached her. 

Both children were rushed to Broward Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where Sloan was pronounced dead. Maddox was treated and reported in stable condition, although details regarding his hospital stay were not immediately clear.

This devastating event has reignited concerns over the dangers of digging deep holes in the sand—a warning that beach safety experts and organizations, including the American Lifeguard Association, have long emphasized. Such collapses can happen swiftly, and the heavy sand can compress a person’s chest, making breathing difficult or impossible. Despite the perceived innocence of the activity, the consequences can be fatal within minutes, underscoring the need for increased awareness and caution.

Bernard J. Fisher II, director of health and safety for the association, highlighted the incident as a poignant reminder of the need for vigilance and preventive measures to protect beachgoers, particularly children.

The incident in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is not isolated. Similar tragedies have occurred in other parts of the country, including the death of an 18-year-old in New Jersey in 2022, who was trapped in a hole he dug with his sister. 

The National Parks Service advises against digging holes deeper than one’s knees and emphasizes the importance of filling in any excavations before leaving the beach to prevent such tragedies. This advice stems from the inherent risks of sand’s instability, which can lead to collapses that trap and suffocate individuals within minutes.