What started as an innocent afternoon of childhood adventure ended in unimaginable tragedy after two Florida teenagers were buried alive when a sand tunnel they were digging suddenly collapsed.
George Watts and Derrick Hubbard were both just 14 years old. They were lifelong best friends. They spent the day digging a deep hole. They also dug an underground tunnel near Sportsman’s Park in Inverness on January 11. That was when disaster struck.
The pit had reached an estimated five feet deep when the surrounding sand abruptly caved in, swallowing both boys and trapping them beneath the heavy collapse with no way out.
By lunchtime, their parents grew alarmed when repeated phone calls went unanswered. Racing to the area, they discovered a chilling scene: the boys’ bicycles and shoes left behind beside the sandpit. Realizing something was terribly wrong, the parents began digging with their bare hands and called 911.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, first responders located Derrick Hubbard first. He had no pulse and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
George Watts was found next. He still had a pulse but was unconscious and not breathing. He was transported to a local hospital before being airlifted to UF Health Shands in critical condition. After two days on life support, George was pronounced dead at 4:25 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities have not confirmed how long the boys were buried under the sand. This detail has only deepened the heartbreak surrounding the case.
“They were just kids,” said Corey Edwards, their coach and mentor with the 352 Legends youth program. “They were outside, being adventurous, using their imagination — exactly what we encourage kids to do. And it turned into a nightmare.”
The teens had grown up together and were inseparable, often described as brothers rather than friends. Just weeks before their deaths, they celebrated winning a Citrus NFL Flag Football league championship. This joyful milestone is now overshadowed by grief.
A growing memorial now marks the site of the collapse. Flowers, photos, and handwritten notes honor two lives lost far too soon.
“It really killed a part of all of us,” family friend Lina Bilodeau said. “Born together and passed together. A true friendship most adults never even get to experience.”
As Inverness mourns, the devastating accident has sparked renewed warnings about the deadly risks of deep sand digging. It has left a community struggling to understand how a simple day of play turned into an irreversible tragedy.
really sad
So sad. It seems like every few months some kid or kids are buried alive when a tunnel they dig collapses