Experts have spoken out about the girl who died after being buried inside a hole on a Florida beach and stated that her death could have been prevented if there were more lifeguards on duty.
As previously reported, a seven-year-old girl named Sloan Mattingly lost her life at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach, Florida, on Tuesday (February 20) while on vacation from Fort Wayne, Indiana with her family.
The tragedy struck after the girl began digging between a 5- to 6-foot-deep hole, alongside her nine-year-old brother Maddox Mattingly. However, the sand collapsed, enveloping her and Maddox.
While the boy found himself trapped up to his chest, the weight of the sand completely buried Sloan. Fellow beachgoers were alerted and began frantically digging away at the sand in a bid to reach the trapped child, who was eventually pulled out after around 20 minutes.
Sadly, Sloan succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Broward Health Medical Center.
Ocean rescue experts have offered some words following the tragedy and said that Sloan's death might have been prevented if the beach was staffed with lifeguards.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, lifeguards in other nearby coastal towns are required to tell beachgoers about the dangers of digging in the sand. They are also instructed to stop people from digging any deeper than knee height, or about 2 feet. However, Pompano Beach spokesperson Sandra King revealed that Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has no lifeguards.
"This doesn’t happen on guarded beaches," Jim McCrady, Vice President and Lifesaving Academies director of the U.S. Lifesaving Association Southeast Region, remarked.
McCrady, who also works as a surf rescue chief in Hallandale Beach, noted: "We do that all day long. We spot hazards and then we mitigate the dangers involved in those hazards."
"This is a daily thing that happens on a guarded beach when someone starts to dig a hole. We not only tell the person not to dig a deep hole, but to fill it in before they leave," he added.
Listen to the heartbreaking 911 call below:The Pompano Beach spokesperson disclosed that fire rescue had to dig with shovels and supportive boards to keep more sand from tumbling in as they recovered the girl. She did not immediately know how long the children were buried before they were removed.
Heart-wrenching audio released by NBC 6 South Florida revealed a frantic beachgoer calling 911 moments after Sloan was fatally buried inside a hole. "I’m on the beach in front of High Noon, and there’s a child that they’re trying to get out," the woman caller tells the operator.
The caller explains that a "bunch of people [were] trying to dig" before telling the operator that she heard the girl's father "yelling for help" and that his daughter was "caught in a hole in the sand".
The woman says that the girl's panic-stricken mother is desperately screaming to get her daughter out. "The mom’s yelling, 'My daughter is in there,'" she explained. "Everybody’s screaming," she continues as shouting from others can be heard in the background.
The 911 operator tells the beachgoer that emergency responders have been dispatched to the scene before the woman discloses that those helping still "have not gotten the child out" and that they’re still "digging" the hole.
The caller states that the child's "whole body" is still under the sand and tells the operator that she does not "see her head" as others frantically continue to get Sloan out. She then notes that the sheriff had arrived.
As the operator continues to try and ask the woman questions about what's happening on the scene, she becomes devastatingly stunned by the cries of Sloan's mother, saying: "Oh, this mother… oh, this is awful."
The dispatcher then asks once more if the "officer is with the child," only to be met by a heartbreaking scream in the background. The woman then somberly replies, "Yes," as the call concludes.
A GoFundMe has been set up by the family's friend, Sally Krouse, and as of this writing, $8,375 has been raised of the $25,000 target. The money will cover funeral costs, and ease the family's financial stress.
The donation page included a message from the young child's grief-stricken mother, Therese: "A freak accident happened yesterday while we are here on vacation and it took away our greatest 7.5 years. Don’t tell us you’re sorry for our loss…don’t do that to us."
"We experienced the purest human being and we are forever changed by her," she continued. "We love you beyond any stretch of the imagination. Our sweet Sloan. What we would give."
Sloan's grieving father Jason also shared a brief note to his business's Facebook page following the tragedy, writing: "Please be patient as we are dealing with the loss of our daughter."
The incident remains under investigation.
Our thoughts continue to be with Sloan's family and friends at this time.
