Latest news with #MelinaBurton
The Sun
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Teen, 19, left with broken neck after freak beach accident when trying to cool down in water
A TEENAGER has been left with a broken neck following a freak accident when he tried to cool himself down in the water. Aiden Sloan, 19, plowed into a sandbar head-on while diving into a wave, his mom revealed. 3 He suffered the injuries while at the beach in New Hampshire on June 23, as reported by Fox News. Aiden, who works in a noodle bar in a casino, was knocked out when he collided with the sandbar and his cousins recalled the moment they realized something was wrong. Family friend Jessica O'Brien said the teenager misjudged the depth of the water. Michael Henry said it looked like Sloan's eyes were 'bulging' out of his face, as reported by the NBC affiliate WBTS-CD. Gabriel Ruiz, Aiden's other cousin, tried to bring him to shore and said it was like carrying a dead body. 'He was just, like, not moving at all,' he said. Temperatures had soared to almost 90F on Monday when Aiden was trying to cool off in the water at Hampton Beach. Aiden has been left with a broken neck and suffered a bruised spine and concussion. Mom Melina Burton has updated social media users on her son's condition after his accident. In one post from June 27, she revealed Aiden couldn't squeeze or move his fingers. Lifeguard, 18, impaled by beach umbrella recalls horror and reveals pole missed artery by a centimeter in freak accident Aiden can slightly move his left knee but still had no movement on the right, and he can control both of his arms. 'He's frustrated that all he can do is lay there,' she said. Melina also revealed her son has suffered nightmares following the accident. A nurse woke up Aiden after he feared he was drowning again, according to a GoFundMe post. Melina revealed she's hopeful Aiden would be moved out of the intensive care unit, and shared pictures of her son enjoying a lobster roll. She said he was determined to feed himself two bites, which he managed to achieve. Aiden has been enjoying ice cream and orange juice while in the hospital, according to his mom. She told Fox News Digital it was 'heartbreaking' to see him defeated. Tributes have been paid to the teen, who has aspirations of becoming a chef. 'He is the funniest human you'll ever meet,' O'Brien told the Portsmouth Herald.
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Swimmer, 19, suffers broken neck after slamming head-on into sandbar in freak mishap in New Hampshire
A 19-year-old is fighting for his life after a freak accident at a New Hampshire beach left him with a broken neck. Aiden Sloan suffered catastrophic injuries after smashing 'head-on' into a sandbar when he dove into the water at a Hampton Beach on Monday afternoon. 'They were diving into the waves like kids do,' his mother Melina Burton told NBC10 Boston. 'And there was a sandbar that nobody could have known was there, so he dove through a wave and he hit the sandbar head-on.' Her son was immediately left unable to move and stopped breathing, leaving his cousins to take action. 'We looked at his eyes. They were, like, bulging out of his face,' Michael Henry, one of Sloan's cousins recalled. Henry and Sloan's other cousin, Gabriel Ruiz, then rushed over and quickly dragged him to the beach. 'He was just, like, not moving at all. It was like we were carrying a dead body,' Ruiz said. Sloan, a chef at a restaurant in Nashua - about 40 minutes outside of Concord - was left with a bruised spine, a broken neck and a concussion. He is in intensive care. His worried mother has been left rocked by the freak accident, especially after he told her how he struggled to make it to the surface after banging his head. 'He said "When I came to, mom, I could see the top of the water, but my arms and legs wouldn't work, and I couldn't get myself to the top to get air",' Burton recalled. She said he can't move his right leg at all, can't lift his arms and cannot wiggle his fingers or clench his hands. Burton added: 'On his left foot, he can wiggle his toes minimally. 'It's really heartbreaking to know that your child is injured and he's in pain and there's nothing that you can do for him.' Despite his grave injuries, Sloan's mother is extremely grateful his cousins were there to rescue him from the water. 'They're actually really great kids, and they're handling it so well. I did check in with both of them. Michael, the one that actually pulled Aiden out of the water, was here yesterday. And I said, "Can I give you a hug?",' Burton told Fox News Digital. 'I said, "I am so, so grateful to you for rescuing my boy and pulling him out of the water," because he probably would not even be here today if you had not done that. So I will forever be grateful.' Michael McMahon, the Hampton Beach fire chief, said he's previously dove into the very same waves as Sloan. 'He was diving into the water into the waves, I've done it a thousand times, and I think it was more shallow than he expected,' McMahon told the outlet. He noted that this wasn't the first time he was called to a similar scene, but it's not an occurrence that happens often. 'Sometimes, we go to calls and people are doing dumb things and drugs and alcohol and this was not how we saw this. This was just a kid at the beach because it was hot, and he got hurt in a terribly unfortunate way.' A GoFundMe page was created to help Sloan and his single mother after he 'misguided the depth' of the water. In an update from Friday, Burton said he has been doing physical therapy 'on his own terms' and has suffered from nightmares where he feels like he 'was drowning again.' 'He's frustrated that all he can do is lay there,' she wrote, adding he's been enjoying the little things in the hospital, including 'a metric ton of OJ, Italian ice and ice cream.' Burton said he has also been prescribed medicine for the nightmare and anxiety he's been experiencing. Sloan is unable to work at his job as a cook for Noodle Bar - a restaurant located in Nash Casino. As of Sunday morning, more than $37,000 was raised to help Sloan and his mother. Sandbars often cause waves to break suddenly and are known to be extremely dangerous for both swimmers and surfers. They are also known as inshore holes that are created by waves and currents pushing sand into mounds, according to OC Lifeguards. The mountains of underwater sand are also known to disappear and shift around constantly. Beach-goers are urged to exercise extreme caution in the water to avoid sandbars, whether you are swimming, surfing, diving or boating.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
New Hampshire teen, 19, fighting for life with a broken neck after freak accident on popular beach
A 19-year-old has been left fighting for his life after he broke his neck at a popular New Hampshire beach during what was supposed to be a fun day with his cousins. Aiden Sloan went to Hampton Beach with his family on Monday afternoon to cool off from the heat when a dive into the waves changed his life forever. When Sloan dove into the water he smashed into a sandbar 'head-on,' leaving his body motionless, his mother Melina Burton told NBC10 Boston. 'They were diving into the waves like kids do. And there was a sandbar that nobody could have known was there, so he dove through a wave and he hit the sandbar head-on,' Burton said. Her son was immediately left unable to move and stopped breathing, leaving his cousins to take action. 'We looked at his eyes. They were, like, bulging out of his face,' Michael Henry, one of Sloan's cousins recalled. Henry and Sloan's other cousin, Gabriel Ruiz, then rushed over and quickly dragged him to the beach. 'He was just, like, not moving at all. It was like we were carrying a dead body,' Ruiz said. Sloan, a chef at a restaurant in Nashua - about 40 minutes outside of Concord- was left with a bruised spine, a broken neck and a concussion. He is currently in intensive care. His worried mother has been left rocked by the freak accident, especially after he told her how he struggled to make it to the surface after banging his head. 'He said "When I came to, mom, I could see the top of the water, but my arms and legs wouldn't work, and I couldn't get myself to the top to get air",' Burton recalled. She said he can't move his right leg at all, can't lift his arms and cannot wiggle his fingers or clench his hands. Burton added: 'On his left foot, he can wiggle his toes minimally. 'It's really heartbreaking to know that your child is injured and he's in pain and there's nothing that you can do for him.' Despite his grave injuries, Sloan's mother is extremely grateful his cousins were there to rescue him from the water. 'They're actually really great kids, and they're handling it so well. I did check in with both of them. Michael, the one that actually pulled Aiden out of the water, was here yesterday. And I said, "Can I give you a hug?",' Burton told Fox News Digital. 'I said, "I am so, so grateful to you for rescuing my boy and pulling him out of the water," because he probably would not even be here today if you had not done that. So I will forever be grateful.' Michael McMahon, the Hampton Beach fire chief, said he's previously dove into the very same waves as Sloan. 'He was diving into the water into the waves, I've done it a thousand times, and I think it was more shallow than he expected,' McMahon told the outlet. He noted that this wasn't the first time he was called to a similar scene, but it's not an occurrence that happens often. 'Sometimes, we go to calls and people are doing dumb things and drugs and alcohol and this was not how we saw this. This was just a kid at the beach because it was hot, and he got hurt in a terribly unfortunate way.' A GoFundMe page was created to help Sloan and his single mother after he 'misguided the depth' of the water. In an update from Friday, Burton said he has been doing physical therapy 'on his own terms' and has suffered from nightmares where he feels like he 'was drowning again.' 'He's frustrated that all he can do is lay there,' she wrote, adding that he's been enjoying the little things in the hospital, including 'a metric ton of OJ, Italian ice and ice cream. Burton said he has also been prescribed medicine for the nightmare and anxiety he's been experiencing. Sloan is currently unable to work at his job as a cook for Noodle Bar - a restaurant located in Nash Casino. As of Sunday morning, more than $37,000 was raised to help Sloan and his mother. Sandbars often cause waves to break suddenly and are known to be extremely dangerous for both swimmers and surfers. They are also known as inshore holes that are created by waves and currents pushing sand into mounds, according to OC Lifeguards. The mountains of underwater sand are also known to disappear and shift around constantly. Beach-goers are urged to exercise extreme caution in the water to avoid sandbars, whether you are swimming, surfing, diving or boating.
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS New Hampshire teen, 19, fighting for life with a broken neck after freak accident on popular beach
A 19-year-old has been left fighting for his life after he broke his neck at a popular New Hampshire beach during what was supposed to be a fun day with his cousins. Aiden Sloan went to Hampton Beach with his family on Monday afternoon to cool off from the heat when a dive into the waves changed his life forever. When Sloan dove into the water he smashed into a sandbar 'head-on,' leaving his body motionless, his mother Melina Burton told NBC10 Boston. 'They were diving into the waves like kids do. And there was a sandbar that nobody could have known was there, so he dove through a wave and he hit the sandbar head-on,' Burton said. Her son was immediately left unable to move and stopped breathing, leaving his cousins to take action. 'We looked at his eyes. They were, like, bulging out of his face,' Michael Henry, one of Sloan's cousins recalled. Henry and Sloan's other cousin, Gabriel Ruiz, then rushed over and quickly dragged him to the beach. 'He was just, like, not moving at all. It was like we were carrying a dead body,' Ruiz said. Sloan, a chef at a restaurant in Nashua - about 40 minutes outside of Concord- was left with a bruised spine, a broken neck and a concussion. He is currently in intensive care. His worried mother has been left rocked by the freak accident, especially after he told her how he struggled to make it to the surface after banging his head. 'He said "When I came to, mom, I could see the top of the water, but my arms and legs wouldn't work, and I couldn't get myself to the top to get air",' Burton recalled. She said he can't move his right leg at all, can't lift his arms and cannot wiggle his fingers or clench his hands. Burton added: 'On his left foot, he can wiggle his toes minimally. 'It's really heartbreaking to know that your child is injured and he's in pain and there's nothing that you can do for him.' Despite his grave injuries, Sloan's mother is extremely grateful his cousins were there to rescue him from the water. 'They're actually really great kids, and they're handling it so well. I did check in with both of them. Michael, the one that actually pulled Aiden out of the water, was here yesterday. And I said, "Can I give you a hug?",' Burton told Fox News Digital. 'I said, "I am so, so grateful to you for rescuing my boy and pulling him out of the water," because he probably would not even be here today if you had not done that. So I will forever be grateful.' Michael McMahon, the Hampton Beach fire chief, said he's previously dove into the very same waves as Sloan. 'He was diving into the water into the waves, I've done it a thousand times, and I think it was more shallow than he expected,' McMahon told the outlet. He noted that this wasn't the first time he was called to a similar scene, but it's not an occurrence that happens often. 'Sometimes, we go to calls and people are doing dumb things and drugs and alcohol and this was not how we saw this. This was just a kid at the beach because it was hot, and he got hurt in a terribly unfortunate way.' A GoFundMe page was created to help Sloan and his single mother after he 'misguided the depth' of the water. In an update from Friday, Burton said he has been doing physical therapy 'on his own terms' and has suffered from nightmares where he feels like he 'was drowning again.' 'He's frustrated that all he can do is lay there,' she wrote, adding that he's been enjoying the little things in the hospital, including 'a metric ton of OJ, Italian ice and ice cream. Burton said he has also been prescribed medicine for the nightmare and anxiety he's been experiencing. Sloan is currently unable to work at his job as a cook for Noodle Bar - a restaurant located in Nash Casino. As of Sunday morning, more than $37,000 was raised to help Sloan and his mother. Sandbars often cause waves to break suddenly and are known to be extremely dangerous for both swimmers and surfers. They are also known as inshore holes that are created by waves and currents pushing sand into mounds, according to OC Lifeguards. The mountains of underwater sand are also known to disappear and shift around constantly. Beach-goers are urged to exercise extreme caution in the water to avoid sandbars, whether you are swimming, surfing, diving or boating.
Fox News
29-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Freak accident at the beach sends teen to ICU as mom warns of waterfront danger
A teenager remains in intensive care after suffering severe injuries in a freak diving accident at Hampton Beach. The incident happened on Monday afternoon in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, where 19-year-old Aiden Sloan and his cousins were playing in the water to beat the heat. "He was diving into the water into the waves, I've done it a thousand times, and I think it was more shallow than he expected," Hampton Beach Fire Chief Michael McMahon told Fox News Digital. Sloan's mom, Melina Burton, echoed McMahon and described the ordeal to Fox News Digital and what life has been like since she got word of her son's injury. "They were diving into the waves like kids do," Burton described. "And there was a sandbar that nobody could have known was there, so he dove through a wave, and he hit the sandbar head-on." Burton shared that Sloan's cousins also saw something had gone terribly wrong and dragged him to the beach, where they realized he wasn't breathing. "He was just, like, not moving at all," one of Sloan's cousins told NBC10 Boston when the accident happened. "It was like we were carrying a dead body." Burton said her son had been completely knocked out and if it was not for his cousins, he might not be alive today. "They're actually really great kids, and they're handling it so well. I did check in with both of them. Michael, the one that actually pulled Aiden out of the water, was here yesterday. And I said, 'Can I give you a hug?'" Burton said. "I said, 'I am so, so grateful to you for rescuing my boy and pulling him out of the water,' because he probably would not even be here today if you had not done that. So I will forever be grateful." McMahon added that he had gone out on a similar call years ago, in nearly the exact same situation. "So it didn't shock me, but it's not a regular occurrence for us, certainly. And it is unfortunate," McMahon said. "Sometimes, we go to calls and people are doing dumb things and drugs and alcohol and this was not how we saw this. This was just a kid at the beach because it was hot, and he got hurt in a terribly unfortunate way." A GoFundMe page has been set up for Sloan, where he is described as having suffered from a broken neck. "He misjudged the depth of some water at Hampton and, as a result, broke his neck," the post read. "He is unable to move his legs and hands at this point but is able to move his arms. His mom, Melina, is a single mom and will need to be by her boy's side as he recovers." Burton said it is too soon to tell if there is any permanent damage and said Sloan is just trying to be strong and take each day as it comes. "The doctor met with him this morning just to kind of explain to him, one, the surgery that they did on him, and two, what exactly his injuries were. When they explained it to him the first time, he was so drowsy that he didn't really understand," Burton said. "So they came back in this morning, they said that he has two things going for him. One, the fact that he's 19, young and strong, and two, that they were able to operate on him within 12 hours of the injury. So the prognosis we don't know yet, there's a lot of different factors." Sloan, who is also a chef at a restaurant inside the Nash Casino, is receiving support from his employer, who is donating a portion of sales to his medical expenses. "A member of our Greenleaf family, Aiden Sloan, unfortunately suffered a serious neck injury while having a fun day at Hampton beach earlier this week," Greenleaf Milford wrote in a post on their Facebook page. "Aiden joined our Greenleaf family at a young age, and we watched him grow as a person and a cook over the years and he and his family have our full love and support during these difficult times." Sloan is expected to remain in the hospital for several weeks before going to a rehab facility, Burton said, and is hopeful things turn around. "They (doctors) ask him multiple times a day if he can move his hands and his fingers, if he could move his feet and toes, and if he can lift his knees. Or if he can feel anything in his midsection, and he gets very defeated and hopeless when he can't," Burton explained. "And he doesn't understand why they keep asking him to try these things. So he's very tearful. He's very emotional today, which for anybody who knows Aiden, it is not who he is at all. He is always smiling and joking and happy. And even when, you know, life isn't going so great for him, he is still always just trying to make people laugh. So to see him so defeated and hopeless right now is really heartbreaking." Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to
