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Those who have vacationed on the beaches of Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk or the Northern Beaches of the Outer Banks, North Carolina are probably familiar with large holes which have been dug and were not refilled before leaving the beach. Where this is a fun past-time for vacationers or their children and seems harmless, the reality of leaving gigantic or deep holes can ruin another person’s vacation because of an injury, especially when tourists are walking along the beach at dusk or nighttime.

These holes are very hard to see after dusk. Many people have been walking the beach and have had serious leg injuries from falling into the holes. Other’s have driven their atv’s or 4×4’s into the holes and caused damage to the vehicle or injured themselves when the vehicle hits the bottom of the hole. Please think about the new beachgoer–if you dig massive or even narrow trenches in the sand, try to destroy your work of art before you leave the beach–if mother nature did not do so.

Not only are the holes dangerous to others, but the poor souls themselves digging in the sand have huge risks. There are a number of reports of people being injured or who have died from the sand collapsing in on them while digging the holes. Web MD reported in 2007 that in the past decade there were 31 fatalities reported and 21 cases of people buried in the sand while the hole they were digging collapsed on top of them. Do we need to remind you that digging a huge cave, under a narrow band of sand, could result in your suffocation death? You would think not, but the Web MD report shows beach goers seem to ignore the obvious sometimes.

Again, try to think of the next beach visitor and follow basic logic of not trying to dig a world record sand cave which can easily cave in or a family member or friend.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper,Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

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