Girl Dies After Tragically Being Buried Alive At The Beach

(LibertySociety.com) – A devastating tragedy occurred on February 19 at a beach in Ft. Lauderdale when a 7-year-old girl from Indiana died after being buried alive in the sand. Sloan Mattingly and her 9-year-old brother Maddox were playing on the beach when they decided to dig a hole. The depth of the hole was about six feet when it suddenly collapsed, trapping the girl inside. According to reports, adults were present while the hole was being dug.

When emergency responders arrived at the scene, the boy was chest-deep in the sand. CBS obtained a video of the tragedy, which showed several people attempting to dig the children out of the sand and prevent further collapse.

Emergency responders placed support boards to keep the sand from collapsing while they shoveled down to reach the girl. Both children were transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where Sloan Mattingly was pronounced dead. Several days after the tragedy occurred, Chris Sloan spoke to a local news outlet where he lives in Oklahoma. He is the brother of the children’s mother, Therese Mattingly. He said that he and other family members had been enjoying photos and videos from the vacation in a group chat. He said they all received a text with a phone number to call for a conference call. His brother, David, hosted the call, telling family members that it was “going to be the worst news” of their lives. He said that Sloan Mattingly was already unresponsive when the emergency crews arrived.

The family was taking a rare vacation to the beach. The father, Jason Mattingly, owns a busy drywall and painting company that leaves little free time for family trips. Chris Sloan said that he was speaking out about the tragedy so that people learn how dangerous sand can be. He stated, “Even if it saves one life just to know about this story.” Sloan Mattingly’s funeral was held on March 1 in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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