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Emergency crew attempts to save teenagers from sand hole collapse
A family is mourning the death of their 18-year-old son Levi Caverley who was killed by a sand collapse on the Jersey Shore. On Tuesday, the teenager was with his 17-year-old sister playing at Ocean Beach in Tom’s River. The girl only suffered from injuries.
The family was on vacation when the two teenagers decided to use frisbees to dig a 10-feet hold, which eventually collapsed. ABS news channel WPVI reported that the tragedy occurred around 4 pm.
The Toms River Police Department posted a statement regarding the same on Facebook, which read:
“The teens were reportedly digging a large hold when it collapsed and trapped both of them.”
Both the children were buried underneath - Caverley was completely submerged while his sister was buried up to the chest.
Emergency crew attempts to save teenagers from sand hole collapse
Toms River emergency officers and neighboring town officials worked for hours to save the teenagers. They used ladders, bulldozers, buckets of water, and other heavy machinery. The girl was rescued and treated at the scene. However, it was too late for Caverley to be saved. His body recovered from the collapse around 7 pm.
The children’s mother, Angela Caverley, told NJ.com that her daughter was physically “okay.” Speaking about whether they regret coming to New Jersey, she said:
“This was our first time. We came to try to have a family vacation. It is what it is. You can’t change it.”
Maurice “Mo” B. Hill, the mayor of Toms River, said that the family was vacationing during the “off-season.” He added that there would have been a lifeguard to stop people from digging deep holes on the beach if they came during the vacation season.
How do sand hole collapses occur?
The collapses can occur when non-experts dig holes. Even if the hole is just a few feet deep, it can collapse. In some cases like the one mentioned above, people fall into the existing holes leading to it collapsing around them.
The collapses most often take place on beaches. They can also happen in other places surrounded by water bodies like lakes. Sources also claim that it can happen in backyards as well.
Tom Gill, a spokesman for the United States Lifesaving Association, said:
“It happens as people are digging in a completely nonstable environment. Sand is not meant to stay in one place and it will not hold.”
Collapses occur when sand under the surface dries, leaving rescuers barely enough time to help someone. Collapses are most likely to happen when grains as small as tiny marbles are stacked upon each other. The sand eventually becomes brittle and can trap people. This can put the victim under a lot of pressure - as if a 13 to 15-year-old boy is standing on one’s torso.
