Double tragedy as teenagers, 18 and 13, die in separate sand collapses

Two teenage boys died under tragic circumstances after becoming trapped in separate sand collapses in New Jersey and Utah. 

In New Jersey, eighteen-year-old Levy Caverley and his sister, 17, both of Maine, were trapped on Tuesday when a 10-feet hole they had dug fell in at a beach in Toms River.

Levy’s sister was safely rescued. He died during the collapse and crews have since recovered his body, NBC reported.  

Meanwhile, thirteen-year-old Ian Spendlove died from his injuries a day after a sand dune he was digging in collapsed and buried him at Utah’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. 

Ian had been digging a tunnel into the dune when it collapsed on him Saturday evening, park rangers said. A family member alerted authorities, and rangers arrived to dig the boy out from what they said was about 6-and-a-half feet of sand.

He was rescued and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. 

In New Jersey, eighteen-year-old Levy Caverley and his sister, 17, both of Maine, were trapped when a 10-feet hole they had dug fell in at a beach in Toms River

Pictured: 18-year-old Levi Caverly, who was killed in a New Jersey sand collapse on Tuesday 

Meanwhile, thirteen-year-old Ian Spendlove died from his injuries a day after a sand dune he was digging in collapsed and buried him at Utah’s Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

First responders arrived at Toms River, New Jersey, near the entrance to Seaview Road, shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday. 

They successfully rescued the 17-year-old girl and treated her at the scene. Her brother’s body was pulled out of the sand around 6:45 p.m. 

The siblings had spent the afternoon with their family at the Ocean Beach III. 

Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill Jr. said the hole had been dug out with Frisbees.

Ian Spendlove, of Utah, was initially rescued by rangers and Kane County Sheriff’s deputies. 

He was found with a pulse, and was given CPR. The boy was transported to a St. George hospital and then to Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. 

Ian died Sunday after not regaining brain activity, the Utah Division of State Parks Department said.

He was from Santa Clara, a small town about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. 

Campers and off-road drivers flock to the park near the Utah-Arizona border for the vibrant hue of its warm, pink sand, which is made out of eroding Navajo sandstone.

Devan Chavez, a spokesman for the parks agency, said he wasn’t aware of any similar incidents at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, but in 2012, another teen died after being trapped under a collapsed sand dune at Snow Canyon State Park, about 50 miles northwest.

Saturday’s dune collapse remains under investigation. Rangers said it happened quickly and they did not know how long the boy was buried.

Chavez offered condolences to Spendlove´s family and urged visitors to be safe, wear helmets or life jackets and alert others of recreation plans when in state parks.

‘Always recreate with a buddy or someone who can help you or go and get help. And always let someone away from the area know where you´re going and what your plan is,’ he said.