The family of a Nampa man is seeking community support following his “tragic death” in California, when a sand hole collapsed, burying and killing him.
Dustin Hanson died over the weekend when a sand avalanche buried him in a 6-foot hole he made at Samoa Power Pole Beach in northern California on Wednesday, according to a GoFundMe press release. Hanson was excavating a deep hole underneath a wooden log to “create a sort of fort to watch the sunset” when the sand collapsed, trapping him, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
According to Florida International University, when digging at a beach, individuals should not dig deeper than 2 feet (or the shortest person’s knee height) since sand can be “unstable” and “heavy,” making it harder to rescue someone if the hole collapses.
“Be very careful with sand at the beach — it’s shifty, it’s unpredictable — you really don’t know what direction it can fall,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Megan Ruiz told a local site in California about the incident.
Hanson was imprisoned for several minutes until authorities were able to free him using special equipment, according to the Chronicle. Hanson was in serious condition in a California hospital for several days before dying from his injuries.
Hanson gave his organs as a “final act of kindness,” according to a news release. Hanson’s companion was also stuck in the hole, but she managed to escape and phone for help, according to the announcement.
To meet the burial costs and expenditures associated with returning his remains to Idaho, his loved ones have set up a GoFundMe fundraising page. As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised slightly more than $3,000 toward its $8,000 target.
“Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference,” a family member stated in the news release.
