LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. – The parents of Sloan Mattingly, the little girl who died after being buried in a sand hole in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, are speaking about the tragedy.
It happened on Feb. 20 while the family from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was vacationing in South Florida.
The family’s two children, 7-year-old Sloan and 9-year-old Maddox, were playing in a large hole in the sand when the walls suddenly collapsed.
Maddox was saved after being buried up to his chest, but Sloan was under the sand for more than 15 minutes before she was able to be dug out.
First responders rushed her to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead.
Sloan’s parents spoke to ABC News’s “Good Morning America” about what happened.
“I have no idea (how this happened),” said Theresa Mattingly, Sloan’s mother. “That’s a question we have, too. We’re kind of -- we’re the people that other parents or family members kind of roll their eyes at because we’re a little overprotective most of the time and think of everything. When we go to the beach, we think of water safety. And this never, ever once crossed my mind. And of course, looking now I’m like, ‘Oh, of course,’ and so that part’s really frustrating.”
The full interview can be seen Thursday on “Good Morning America,” starting at 7 a.m. on Local 10.