17-Year-Old Boy Dies After Hole He Dug in Sand Collapsed at North Carolina Beach

An unnamed 17-year-old boy was killed in North Carolina’s Outer Banks after he was buried underneath the sand. The teen, who was a Chesapeake, Virginia native, was standing inside a hole he dug when the walls of sand around it collapsed, burying him.

The boy’s family was looking for him and soon noticed that he was trapped underneath the sand at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in Frisco, North Carolina.  Seashore law enforcement rangers were soon alerted of the incident and arrived at the scene.

Teen Boy Buried Underneath Sand Does Not Survive

According to officials, the boy’s entrapment was “apparently caused by portions of the adjacent dune collapsing into the hole.” The rangers and the boy’s family dug rigorously to get the boy out. Once he was recovered from the sand, CPR was performed, but to no avail. Dare County EMS and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue personnel did all they could do to save the boy’s life, but it was too late and the teen was soon pronounced dead.

National Parks of Eastern North Carolina superintendent David Hallac released a statement regarding the tragic event. It read, “Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends. We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff.”

This is not the first time a similar tragic occurrence has happened to a beachgoer. At the Jersey Shore in May 2022, a teenage brother and sister duo were buried underneath a hole they were digging after the sand around them caved in. The 17-year-old girl was injured yet survived, but unfortunately, the 18-year-old boy, identified as Levi Caverly, was killed during the incident. The boy’s father spoke out about remembering his beloved son, saying, “Levi was himself. He was odd. He was quirky. He was not real concerned with what others thought.”

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