Teen rescued from beach sounds warning

CHARLESTOWN, R.I. —The family of a 17-year-old Connecticut teen who was buried up to his neck on a Rhode Island beach is warning others about the dangers of digging holes in the sand.

James Boyden, 17, of Scotland, Conn., told NBC’s “Today” show on Friday that he briefly blacked out after sand collapsed on him on East Beach on Tuesday. He was freed by emergency workers using heavy equipment after several hours.

While emergency workers have said the hole was 6 to 8 feet deep, Boyden and his family say the hole was much smaller and that the teen was trapped only because he was kneeling when the hole collapsed.

Boyden’s father, Kenneth Boyden, says his son was completely covered by the sand. “Even a smaller hole can be very dangerous,“ he says.