Chesapeake teen, 17, dies in tragic Cape Hatteras sand dune collapse

Yesterday, the National Park Service overseeing North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras National Seashore released the tragic news that a 17-year-old young man from Chesapeake, Virginia, died yesterday as a result of being trapped under several feet of sand that caved into a hole he was in while at the Cape Hatteras beach in Frisco, North Carolina. 

Cape Hatteras, located on the North Carolina Outer Banks, is accessible by ferry and is a popular beach destination offering camping, fishing, off-road vehicles and other seashore activities, according to Fox News.

At approximately 2 p.m. on May 6, Seashore law enforcement rangers responded to a 911 call regarding a teenager trapped in a hole, approximately 0.10 mile east of off-road vehicle ramp 49 in Frisco. The hole was dug in a back-dune area behind the primary dune and not visible from the beachfront.

Prior to arriving on the scene, family and friends had gone looking for the teenager and found him buried under several feet of sand, apparently caused by portions of the adjacent dune collapsing into the hole. Rangers worked with family members to extract the teen while simultaneously performing CPR. Dare County Emergency Medical Services personnel and Hatteras Island Ocean Rescue staff assisted with extracting the teenager from the hole and administering CPR.

Unfortunately, resuscitation efforts were not successful. Officials reported that the incident is under investigation.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore offers our condolences to his family and friends,” said David Hallac, superintendent, National Parks of Eastern North Carolina.

“We urge visitors not to dig deep holes on the beach due to the danger they present to beachgoers and emergency response staff.”

For more on the tragic story, see the video accompanying this article.

(Source: National Park Service) / (Cover Photo, Cape Hatteras Sand Dune, Image credit: Twitter)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram