The parents of a seven-year-old girl who died after the hole she was digging on a Florida beach collapsed have spoken out for the first time.
Therese and Jason Mattingly had no idea what kind of tragedy would unfold when they took their two children, Sloan, 7, and Maddox, 9, to the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea beach last month.
The day had been 'perfect', according to Jason, and the kids were enjoying digging a hole on the beach when everything 'just became chaos and horror'.
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The hole collapsed while the children were in it, prompting beachgoers to rush to try and dig out Sloan and Maddox.
Maddox, who had been buried up to his chest, was pulled out of the hole and stayed with a nurse who had been at the beach while Therese continued to dig for Sloan.
After the children were pulled from the sand, they were taken to hospital where Sloan sadly passed away.
With Spring Break approaching, Therese and Jason have decided to speak out and warn others, noting they are the kind of parents who are considered 'a little overprotective most of the time and think of everything'.
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In an interview with Good Morning America, the mom said: "When we go to the beach, we think of water safety. And this never, ever once crossed my mind."
Therese said the hole collapsed 'really fast', adding: "That part just hurts really bad because it didn't matter that we were literally right there. It was just a hole, and then there's nothing."
Speaking of the rescue effort, Jason added: "Everyone tried their hardest. And unfortunately, it didn't work out in our favor."
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Therese described her seven-year-old daughter as a 'beam of light', and said she and Maddox were 'built-in best friends'.
The mom expressed belief that her young son is 'holding a lot in' after losing his sister.
Jason added: "I think he'll always be a little different now, but we're willing to do whatever we need to do to make sure he has the help to kind of process this and move forward with Sloan in his heart."
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After news of Sloan's death was reported across the globe, the parents said the support they have received is 'overwhelming'.
They are now trying to raise awareness of beach safety to try and prevent any other families from experiencing similar tragedies.
"I don't know what steps to take in order for that to happen - for, you know, signage or lifeguards or patrol," Therese said. "But hopefully we can make some sort of change from this."
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Chris Vincent, mayor of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, expressed his sorrow for the family and thanked them for working with officials to develop a 'national public safety campaign in Sloan’s memory'.
"We will share it with as many coastal communities as possible to help prevent another unimaginable tragedy," Vincent said, as per GMA. "We’re also discussing how we monitor our beach, a local Ordinance to ban digging on our beach, and the best way to honor Sloan.”
Emily Brown