R. Richard
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2003
- Posts
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I am posting this terrible story in the hopes that it will at least warn the parents of small children. A pit in the beach that would be no danger to an adult was a death trap for a small child. Comment?
'Fearless' Abbie buried alive on the beach
The family of a three-year-old girl who died on a beach after she was trapped in a 5 ft hole dug in the sand said yesterday that it had been a "tragic accident that we will never forget or get over".
Pippa Livingstone, 33, remembered her daughter Abbie as being a "fearless baby who wanted to try everything".
Abbie was smothered when the walls of the pit collapsed as she played with her five-year-old brother, Joe.
With both children trapped, Miss Livingstone ran to raise the alarm as Abbie's stepfather, Ian Sayer, fought to free them with his bare hands. He pulled Joe out but was unable to rescue Abbie.
Lifeguards, coastguards, firefighters and paramedics also tried in vain to rescue the girl, who was buried for 30 minutes before she was brought out.
Mr Sayer, a teacher, later told of the terrible accident as the holidaying family played at Upton Towans Beach, near Hayle, Cornwall, last Sunday afternoon.
"I was desperately trying to reach her," he said. "I kept digging and digging, but the sand kept coming back, falling in. I was frantic. Other people tried to dig, but it was just no good."
The couple, from Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, said last night they wanted to thank everyone who helped in the rescue of their "happy little girl", from the "bottom of our hearts".
Miss Livingstone and Mr Sayer, who are due to marry next year, yesterday held a silent vigil at the spot where their daughter died, and laid a bouquet of pink carnations. Holidaymakers paused and joined in the silence as a mark of respect.
Miss Livingstone said: "We are absolutely devastated - too devastated for words. She was our world."
She said that a few days before the accident her daughter had climbed up the 100 ft Hay Tor, an outcrop on Dartmoor in Devon.
She said: "She was a fearless little girl. We were in Devon for a week before coming to Cornwall. She climbed Hay Tor and there was no stopping her. Now she has gone."
Mr Sayer, whose 13-year-old son Dominic was also on the holiday, broke down as he spoke of his stepdaughter. He said: "Abbie was such a lovely little girl. She was always happy, smiling and open to everyone.
"She had a huge heart. What happened was a tragic accident, which we will never forget or get over.
"She was our little baby girl…She was gorgeous - she lived in a world of her own and we doted on her."
One of the rescuers, Ben May, 23, a lifeguard, said: "I held her arm when she passed away. I tried to clear her airways but her breathing stopped when more sand fell on top of her.
"We did at least 20 resuscitations while she was buried and she was freed 10 minutes later but had stopped breathing."
'Fearless' Abbie buried alive on the beach
The family of a three-year-old girl who died on a beach after she was trapped in a 5 ft hole dug in the sand said yesterday that it had been a "tragic accident that we will never forget or get over".
Pippa Livingstone, 33, remembered her daughter Abbie as being a "fearless baby who wanted to try everything".
Abbie was smothered when the walls of the pit collapsed as she played with her five-year-old brother, Joe.
With both children trapped, Miss Livingstone ran to raise the alarm as Abbie's stepfather, Ian Sayer, fought to free them with his bare hands. He pulled Joe out but was unable to rescue Abbie.
Lifeguards, coastguards, firefighters and paramedics also tried in vain to rescue the girl, who was buried for 30 minutes before she was brought out.
Mr Sayer, a teacher, later told of the terrible accident as the holidaying family played at Upton Towans Beach, near Hayle, Cornwall, last Sunday afternoon.
"I was desperately trying to reach her," he said. "I kept digging and digging, but the sand kept coming back, falling in. I was frantic. Other people tried to dig, but it was just no good."
The couple, from Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, said last night they wanted to thank everyone who helped in the rescue of their "happy little girl", from the "bottom of our hearts".
Miss Livingstone and Mr Sayer, who are due to marry next year, yesterday held a silent vigil at the spot where their daughter died, and laid a bouquet of pink carnations. Holidaymakers paused and joined in the silence as a mark of respect.
Miss Livingstone said: "We are absolutely devastated - too devastated for words. She was our world."
She said that a few days before the accident her daughter had climbed up the 100 ft Hay Tor, an outcrop on Dartmoor in Devon.
She said: "She was a fearless little girl. We were in Devon for a week before coming to Cornwall. She climbed Hay Tor and there was no stopping her. Now she has gone."
Mr Sayer, whose 13-year-old son Dominic was also on the holiday, broke down as he spoke of his stepdaughter. He said: "Abbie was such a lovely little girl. She was always happy, smiling and open to everyone.
"She had a huge heart. What happened was a tragic accident, which we will never forget or get over.
"She was our little baby girl…She was gorgeous - she lived in a world of her own and we doted on her."
One of the rescuers, Ben May, 23, a lifeguard, said: "I held her arm when she passed away. I tried to clear her airways but her breathing stopped when more sand fell on top of her.
"We did at least 20 resuscitations while she was buried and she was freed 10 minutes later but had stopped breathing."
