Man Buried Alive and Killed While Digging Sand Tunnel on Beach
David Frasier, 49, was on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina when he was buried alive and killed by sand. He died while building a tunnel to connect two six-foot-deep holes he'd dug earlier in the day.
According to the Virginian-Pilot, his family tried to rescue him from the collapse while authorities rushed to the scene, but in the end, he was buried for 10 to 15 minutes. Cyndy Holda, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service, told the Pilot he was unresponsive at the scene. She said that these kinds of deaths are rare, and that "it's probably too deep to be safe if you are using a shovel."
Over 500 people died in similar accidents nationwide between 1999 and 2010, according to the CDC.
