Sloan Mattingly parents, Jason Mattingly and Therese Mattingly confirmed their little girl’s passing away and said she was seven years old.
An often overlooked hazard, the collapse of sand holes, claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl in Indiana who was digging with her brother on a Florida beach.
Sloan Mattingly tragically passed away on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s beach when a hole, approximately 4-5 feet deep, collapsed on her and her seven-year-old brother, Maddox.
While Maddox was buried up to his chest, Sloan was completely covered by the sand. Despite efforts by approximately 20 adults, who used their hands and plastic pails to dig her out, the hole repeatedly collapsed on itself.
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, situated north of Fort Lauderdale, lacks lifeguards at its beach, resulting in no immediate professional assistance available.
The first deputies arrived approximately four minutes after the collapse, followed shortly by paramedics and firefighters, as indicated by 911 calls released by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
In the background of the emergency call, cries of anguish echo as bystanders desperately attempt to rescue Sloan.
Two callers, both identified as registered nurses, expressed their helplessness in the situation.
One nurse informed the operator, that there was a little girl buried under the sand and they had not gotten to her yet.
Another distraught woman, amidst tears, informed the dispatcher, that there was a whole circle of men trying to dig, digging the sand.
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Sloan Mattingly Parents: Jason And Therese Mattingly
Late Sloan Mattingly parents, Jason Mattingly, and Therese Mattingly were devasted by the loss of their little girl.
The father, Jason, confirmed the heartbreaking news of his daughter’s passing to Wane 15, stating that she was indeed seven years old.
This clarification contrasts with the initial information provided by Broward police, who had previously stated that she was five years old.
Sloan, along with her father, Jason, mother, Therese, and brother, Maddox were visiting from Fort Wayne, Indiana when tragedy struck on Tuesday.
An audio recording of the 911 call reporting the horrifying incident provides insight into the frantic moments on Tuesday as over a dozen adults attempted to rescue the siblings trapped in the sand.
Sloan’s mother, Therese Mattingly, expressed her grief on Facebook, stating:
“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.”
King, a spokesperson, described the children’s parents as being profoundly distraught, noting that the paramedics who treated the children had to be relieved from their shift due to the distressing nature of the incident.
King, whose department serves Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, described the incident as “a horrible, horrible scene.”
He emphasized the sudden and devastating nature of the event, stating that it would be painful as one minute your children are playing in the sand and then in seconds you have a life-threatening situation with your little girl buried.
Who Was The Brother Of Sloan Mattingly? What Happened To Him?
Sloan Mattingly, the 7-year-old girl who tragically lost her life after becoming trapped in a sand hole was digging at a Florida beach with her brother Maddox.
Sloan was described by her devastated father as being “full of love and life.”
Officials reported that Sloan was extracted from the sand after being buried for approximately 20 minutes when the sand collapsed on the siblings.
Fortunately, her brother Maddox was rescued from the hole at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach and was transported to the hospital in stable condition.
Witnesses recounted that the children were digging the hole and playing inside it when the ground suddenly collapsed beneath them.
Cell phone footage captured the frantic scene as a crowd of beachgoers urgently attempted to dig them out before firefighters arrived.
Bystanders recorded the aftermath of the collapse, showing individuals on their knees using their hands to excavate through the sand.
Some even tried to stabilize the walls of the hole to prevent further collapse on the children.
Unfortunately, Sloan was found without a pulse when she was finally extracted from the sand and was subsequently pronounced dead at the hospital, as confirmed by officials.
Meanwhile, her brother Maddox was observed walking outside the hospital on Wednesday, indicating a hopeful outcome for his recovery.
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