Two teenage best friends died in a devastating accident this week after becoming trapped inside a collapsed sand hole at a Florida park — a tragedy that has left their families and community in shock.
The boys, both 14, were at Sportsman Park in Inverness, about 75 miles north of Tampa, on January 11 when the incident occurred. According to local reports, the teens were digging holes in the sand, something authorities said they had done at the park before.
When the boys didn’t return home after lunch, their families grew alarmed. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said a call reporting them missing came in around 12:45 p.m. A caller told authorities there was a large sand hole at the park and feared the boys were trapped inside. One parent also reported that their son’s tracking device was pinging in that area.
Roughly 30 minutes later, first responders located the teens buried in a collapsed sand tunnel. Both were pulled from the hole and rushed to nearby hospitals. One of the boys died shortly after arrival. The other was transported in critical condition to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where he died two days later on January 13.
The boys were identified as George Watts and Derrick Hubbard. According to a GoFundMe created by loved ones, the two were inseparable.
“These two boys shared a bond that went beyond friendship,” the fundraiser states. “They were full of life, curiosity, and dreams for the future.”
Family members said the teens were playing together and had dug a tunnel in soft sugar sand when it suddenly collapsed while they were inside.
“What should have been another day of childhood adventure turned into a nightmare,” the page continues. “Our precious boys were taken from us far too soon.”
Inverness Middle School released a statement expressing condolences and announced that counselors, social workers, and school psychologists were made available to students and staff affected by the tragedy.
Experts say sand hole collapses are far more dangerous than many people realize. Studies have shown that dry sand can become unstable and cave in without warning, quickly filling any open space and leaving little to no air. Suffocation can occur in as little as three to five minutes.
Rescue efforts are also extremely difficult because sand is heavy and continues to collapse as rescuers dig, often working against the weight of the material itself.
The National Park Service advises people never to dig holes deeper than knee height and to always fill in holes afterward, warning that even abandoned holes can pose serious risks to others.
Similar incidents have made headlines in recent years, including the death of a 7-year-old girl at a Florida beach in 2024 and the rescue of a 12-year-old girl in Texas in late 2025 after a sand hole collapsed.
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