A Summer Frolicking Danger To Be Wary Of: Boy Had Feet 'Melted Like Wax'

Summertime is synonymous with frolicking and cheer -- vacations to the shores, barbecue parties, and a lot of sun and surf. That said, summers often belie dangers that loom around every beach and campsite.

Not just sunburns, accidents of far severe nature are reported more during summer, and emergency room admissions rise as a result.

Beaches are at risk of facing the worst consequences of mother nature’s unpredictability such as rip currents, shore breaks and lightning strikes, but some basic holiday essentials can also cause irrevocable damage.

In a freak accident that happened on June 1, 2020, a young boy in the U.K. suffered severe burns after he accidentally stepped on the sand atop an abandoned hot barbecue.

Will Tyler, 9, stepped on the smoldering pit buried in the sand when he was vacationing at the Formby beach in Stockport, Manchester, with his parents Toby and Claire, and his sister Lily. The severity of the burns had temporarily cost Tyler his ability to walk and left him in need of skin grafting, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The Tylers were visiting the beach with their family friends, and the group hiked further across the sand dunes to avoid the crowds. They had also set up a disposable barbecue to prepare some sausage sandwiches. After the barbecue was shut out, they disposed of it far away from the children so they can run around and play.

"We’d used one of those disposable barbecues where the coals are in a foil tray. The bottom of the tray was on the sand, which I now know meant the heat was being sent down into the sand and the foil surface was trapping it there, " Toby told the outlet. “When we moved the barbecue, the top of the sand cooled, but underneath it was still roasting hot as the heat had just been trapped there. We learned later it can stay dangerously hot for hours and hours. "

Toby said they rushed to the spot after hearing Will’s screams. He said that when they pulled out his foot, they saw skin was peeling off it like "melted wax."

"The kids were running around playing when suddenly Will just screamed. As a parent, it’s the worst sound I’d ever heard and it’s a sound I’ll never forget, " said Toby. "He pulled his foot out of the sand and his skin was peeling off his foot like melted wax. "

Toby carried Will in his arms to the car and Claire drove him to a hospital, said Liverpool Echo.

"By the time I carried him to the car I was I was soaking wet with sweat. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it but seeing Will’s foot….I guess the adrenaline just kicked in," the publication quoted Toby, as saying.

It took nine days and eight nights for Tyler to recover and he was in intense pain during the period. He had to have a skin graft from his right thigh to his left foot and was given morphine, gas and air to help him cope with the pain, according to Liverpool Echo.

Once home, Tyler still found it hard to walk and used a wheelchair. He then switched to a walking frame and crutches and gradually was able to walk without support. Tyler still has to wear compression socks 23 hours a day and a splint at night. He also has to moisturize and massage the affected area to reduce the scar tissue.

In another instance, a beach umbrella that flew out of sand cost a Delaware-man his eyesight after it penetrated his left eye and pierced his brain. A part of his brain linked to his sense of taste and smell was also damaged in the accident which happened in 2019, altering his enjoyment of food and wine. The man was reportedly celebrating Independence Day with his family on Bethany Beach.

While it's impossible to completely steer clear of accidents, awareness around how injuries can be avoided with safety-minded forethought and a few precautions is necessary.