That poor family

[QueenOfQuotes]

here

[Kelly1978]

how awful

[whimsy]

Such a tragic accident. So sad

[Tessiebear]

What a gorgeous little girl she was

[trace2]

read about it yesterday, i cried for them

[Blu]

This makes me feel ill, with grief and worry.

On the same day we were on a beach with DS and he and his cousins were digging a huge hole. Everyone told me I was being neurotic when I made them stop as it got to DS's head height, but every year this happens to some poor little mite.

Poor family, poor little girl.

[stacijc]

[monkeytrousers]

What a beautiful little girl. The poor family. I so agree with you Blu, I worry too and have to put up with loads of gibes about being over protective. I do a quick risk assessment wherever we go. The possibilities that go through my head are ridiculous sometimes, but I just can't help it.

[handlemecarefully]

Blu - is that so? has this sort of tragic accident happened before? I hadn't heard of it until yesterday.

Imagine setting off to the beach a happy family anticipating a lovely day ahead, for this to happen. It is unthinkable

[madmarchhare]

Blu, I know what you mean. ILs took DS to seaside for the day and I was nattered all the time they were gone. I was thinking about all the 'extra' dangers, particularly the beach and sea. DH said, I too was being neurotic, but it does go to show these things can happen.

I hate seeing anything like this, Im terrible for thinking about horrible things happening to DS if I cant sleep at night. I will be adding this one to my list for sure.

[Blu]

I can remember it happening several times before, sadly.

I am not usually a 'worrier' at all, but it seems logical to me that sand caves in, and kids are SO keen to dig and dig.

Sadly I think lots of people walk into unforeseen risks in places they don't go all the time. A few years ago, two poor little children were washed away off the Norfolk coast. The parents were convinced that they had been abducted because they were only gone a couple of minutes, and the channel was only knee-deep. But those tidal channels can easily knock a child over when knee deep. I was there when they found the bodies a month later

Poor, poor little Abbie, it must have all seemed such innocent joy to them all, and then....

Unbearable.

[handlemecarefully]

I must confess, although it seems obvious now, I'm not convinced that I would have considered this particular risk before, and this has sort of knocked my confidence to spot general dangers.

Read quite a harrowing account from the life guard about how he put his arm through the sand and felt for her face, found it and could feel light but failing breathing. Perhaps only comfort is that she would have suffocated very quickly and not suffered for long. I can't bare thinking about the contuinuing suffering of her parents, and her bewildered 5 year old brother.

I agree - the pictures of her look heart rending. Such a lovely little girl. Same age as my dd.

[almost40]

Does anyone know how quickly this happened? I am wondering how long she was under the sand. It's so sad, but I think no one realizes how quickly the little ones can suffocate.

[starlover]

blu i agree... sand is very unstable, and a 5ft deep hole is pretty huge. i find it hard to believe that the children dug it themselves!
i can remember trying to dig holes at the beach with my brother and not being able to as the sand poured back in

it's so sad though, the family must just be devastated. poor little girl

[handlemecarefully]

Well I think suffocation happens quickly, but obviously they kept trying to dig and dig and dig in increasing desperation for much longer than this. I mean you would, wouldn't you...

[expatinscotland]

it took half an hour to extricate her. by that time it was too late .

tbh, i'd never even thought of such a risk. will do so in the future, however.

poor wee girl!

[handlemecarefully]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hadn't considering hole digging potentially risky

[Blu]

Also, remember how heavy a small bag of sandpit sand is? that's a fraction of the amount that would cascade down on a little 3 year old in a 5' deep pit. I think the weight makes it impossible to breathe.

And, if it is close to the shore, when the tide comes in, the sand under the surface becomes wetter before the water reaches, iyswim, and causes the hole to collapse.

[Blu]

Why did it take half an hour to dig her out though?

[handlemecarefully]

That's so true - bags of sand are hugely heavy - obvious when you reflect on it

[almost40]

I also have never seen this as a risk.

[foxinsocks]

I think it was the weight of sand on her chest as much as anything.

I had also never really thought about that sort of risk.

The emergency services said (in that bbc link) that it was a big pit but not very deep so I'm wondering whether it was 5ft wide rather than 5 ft deep? I mean, I've dug holes at the beach and it gets incredibly difficult to dig past about 2 foot because of rocks or incredibly hard packed sand.

[Gobbledigook]

This is so awful.

Was it literally because they'd dug a hole so deep or were they playing over a 'natural hole' iyswim?

[starlover]

she would have been breathing in sand as well

it said the hole came over her head... so was reasonably deep

[starlover]

the reason it takes ages to dig is because if it is quite fine sand then as soon as you dig some out more pours in

[foxinsocks]

actually reading other reports, the emergency services said it was 4 to 5 ft deep (how on earth does anyone dig that deep in the sand!) and that they had started to make tunnels off the pit