16-year-old rescued after sand hole collapses on beach
A 16-year-old girl was rescued after a hole she was digging in the sand collapsed on her and buried her up to her neck, according to authorities.
The teenager, who was not identified, was digging on a beach in San Diego, California, Tuesday evening when she became trapped in around 6 to 8 feet of sand, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department told ABC San Diego affiliate KGTV.
The girl was trapped in the sand just 20 feet from the water as high tide approached, authorities said.
With a crowd of bystanders gathered around them, firefighters, park rangers and lifeguards worked quickly to free the teen.
After around 15 minutes of digging, they were able to pull her to safety. Video footage captured by KGTV showed the teen walking away from the hole on her own before being escorted by rescue officials to a gurney.
The teen did not suffer any injuries, according to KGTV.
The teen's dramatic rescue put a spotlight on beach safety, especially at the height of summer.
In March, a 7-year-old girl, Sloan Mattingly, died after she became trapped in the sand after digging a hole with her brother on a beach in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida.
Wyatt Werneth, national spokesperson for the American Lifeguard Association, told "GMA" in March, following Sloan's death, that people are not warned enough about the dangers related to playing in the sand at the beach.
"We hear a lot about rip currents and lightning and things like that, but this is nonetheless dangerous and should be included in the warning systems," said Werneth, a lifeguard in Cocoa Beach, Florida. "Sand on the beaches, unlike some hill areas or inland areas, it moves very easily. When you start digging a hole, it'll fill itself up very quickly."
Werneth said beachgoers can still enjoy days of building sand castles and playing in the sand, but said they should do so with caution.
First, Werneth said people should never dig holes past knee-level and should not climb into holes at the beach.
"When you start digging anything beyond your your knees or your waist and then getting in it, that is dangerous, he said. "So, we advise 100% against that."
Second, Werneth recommends that beachgoers "know before they go," meaning that they should be aware of potential beach dangers, like riptides and sand holes, and should always set up by a lifeguard stand.
"Lifeguards are stewards of the beach," he said. "If you go to a beach and you start digging a hole and there's a lifeguard around, they're going to warn you and make sure you're safe."
Werneth noted that to keep people safe, it's also important to remember that if you dig any kind of hole in sand, you should fill the hole before leaving the beach.
"The most important thing is to cover it back up, no matter how deep it is, even if it's only bucket-deep" he said. "Someone could step in it and twist an ankle, and in Florida, it's also dangerous to our marine life."
