A North Carolina father reportedly died on a beach Thursday when a wave hit him and broke his neck as he played with three of his six children.
WTVD reported that Lee Dingle, 37, was vacationing with family in Oak Island when the accident. Dingle was reportedly in the ocean with his children when a wave struck him, violently slamming his head into the sand and breaking his neck.
His wife, Shannon Dingle, explained on Twitter that the injury caused his neck to swell to the point that his brain was deprived of oxygen for too long.
My partner, my love, and my home died today after a freak accident. Lee was playing on the beach with three of our kids yesterday, and an intense wave hit him just right to slam his head into the sand and break his neck. 1/
— Shannon Dingle (@ShannonDingle) July 20, 2019
Some heroes – including our kids – tried to save him, but it wouldn’t have mattered what they did. His body couldn’t recover from the initial injury.
— Shannon Dingle (@ShannonDingle) July 20, 2019
Reports indicated that Lee worked at Atlas Engineering and had been promoted to president two weeks before his death.
“He was a dream employee and coworker, a good friend, a loving, dedicated father, and a wonderfully kind person,” Atlas Engineering’s chief engineer and executive vice president, Chris Coutu, said in an email to CNN.
“He was brave, calm, and reassuring; he was somebody one would want around when conditions were dangerous or chaotic. He will be greatly missed.”
The late father’s parents revealed to WSOC-TV that his organs will be donated to 55 people. He’s survived by his wife and six children by birth and adoption.
“I wasn’t supposed to be saying goodbye at 37,” his wife tweeted. “I don’t know how to be a grown-up without him, but I’ll learn. I just wish I didn’t have to.”
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[Featured image: Dingle family/GoFundMe]
