Idaho man died in a ‘tragic’ sand hole accident in California. His family asks for help

NAMPA (Idaho Statesman) — The family of a Nampa resident is asking the community for support following his “tragic death” after a sand hole collapsed burying and killing him in California.

Dustin Hanson died over the weekend after a sand avalanche buried him in a 6-foot hole that he had dug at Samoa Power Pole Beach in northern California on Wednesday, according to a GoFundMe news release. Hanson was digging the deep hole underneath a wooden log to “create a sort of fort to watch the sunset” when the sand collapsed and trapped him, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

When digging at a beach, experts recommend that people shouldn’t go past 2 feet — or the shortest person’s knee height — given the fact that sand can be “unstable” and “heavy” making it difficult to rescue someone if the hole collapses, according to Florida International University.

“Be very careful with sand at the beach — it’s shifty, it’s unpredictable — you really don’t know what direction it can fall,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Megan Ruiz told a local blog in California regarding the accident.

Hanson was trapped for several minutes before authorities were able to extract him using special equipment, according to the Chronicle. Hanson was in critical condition in a California hospital for several days before succumbing to his injuries.

In a “final act of kindness,” Hanson donated his organs, according to the news release. Hanson’s partner was also trapped in the hole but she was able to escape and call for help, the release said.

To cover the funeral costs and expenses to bring his remains back to Idaho his loved ones have created a GoFundMe fundraiser asking for donations. As of Monday afternoon, the page had raised a little over $3,000 of its $8,000 goal.

“Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference,” a family member said in the news release.