After a week of her passing, the obituary of the 7-year-old that lost her life in the sand hole accident in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea has been published.
Police say 7-year-old Sloan Mattingly and her 9-year-old brother, Maddox, were digging a hole in the sand on Tuesday, February 20 when it collapsed on top of them. They were both rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but Sloan did not survive.
Sloan Mattingly's obituary describes her as the “sunshine that pours happiness into even the smallest cracks in our lives.”
According to Sloan's obituary, A funeral will be held for Sloan Mattingly on March 1 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her family lives. "The family invites everyone to wear bright and cheery colors for the services in her honor".
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Her tragic death is still causing commotion in South Florida.
Town commissioners in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea are holding a special meeting Tuesday to discuss new safety measures.
Commissioners will be looking at adding lifeguards on the beach and establishing an ordinance against digging holes at the meeting, scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
There are also talks of a memorial for Sloan.
Sand hole tragedy
Town leaders are looking at what could be done differently to prevent an accident like this from happening again.
“I think we’ve all learned from this tragedy, probably, what not to do with our children on the beach, and make sure that we’re there, that we recognize the potential threat of something like that happening again,” said mayor Christopher Vincent to NBC6.
This is a developing story, check back with NBC 6 for updates.
