Authorities Warn of The Dangers After the Death of Levi Caverly
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May 19, 2022Authorities Warn of The Dangers After the Death of Levi Caverly
'The sand is like sugar.'
Authorities in beachside towns are warning visitors about the dangers of digging deep holes on the beach after 18-year-old Maine resident Levi Caverly died in a sand hole that collapsed.
"Stay away from the water line as much as possible. The sand is like sugar," stated Ocean Beach Fire Chief Drew Calvo , who attended to the scene on the beach at Ocean Beach III, a private community on barrier island, on Monday afternoon. He also said "With all of the recent storms, it's become really unstable. Mother Nature takes the sand out and brings it back in."Calvo said first responders were rattled by Tuesday's sand collapse and that they seek to prevent similar tragedy by informing parents about the dangers of digging in the sand.
According to Calvo, he has never seen anything like this. Levi and his 17-year-old sister dug an 8- to 10-foot-deep hole, according to Calvo. The 17-year-old was rescued from the sand collapse by police, firefighters, and emergency medical professionals on the spot, but Levi was not rescued in time. When Silverton EMS member Kevin M. Geoghegan arrived at the scene, he noticed Toms River and Lavallette police officers digging frantically with their hands and police shovels.Levi's sister was also buried in the sand when he arrived, but rescuers had moved some sand away, and she was standing in the pit with sand up to her chest.
Geoghegan claimed, "She said her brother was right there." "She refused medical treatment or assistance until they discovered her brother."The hole, according to Geoghegan, was about 8 feet broad and 8 feet deep. Levi was discovered buried under at least 5 feet of sand, according to Geoghegan and Calvo.
Ocean Beach III is a 950-home private neighborhood on the barrier island. The association provides lifeguards at Ocean Beach, as it does at many other private beach communities in the vicinity. Because the formal start of the beach season, Memorial Day weekend, is still over two weeks away, beaches all around the coast are unguarded.
"Something this tragic is extremely rare," said Jared Tate, director of Toms River Recreation. During the summer beach season, Toms River provides lifeguards for the public beach at Ortley Beach. When lifeguards are on duty, they are told to urge beachgoers to cease digging if they see a hole that is too deep, according to Tate. "Nobody goes lower than knee level," lifeguards ensure, according to Tate. "Anything below that will cause concern, and we'll put a stop to it and fill in the hole." Guards will also patrol the beach at the end of their shifts, he said, to ensure there are no holes left on the beach. A hole could be hazardous to someone walking on the beach late at night, doing beach maintenance, or driving a lifeguard vehicle on the sand.
