Thursday, August 24, 2000 Older Editions

Beach cave-in claims boy

By Rebecca Piro and Judy Wakefield

Salisbury rescue teams spent a frantic 90 minutes Tuesday night trying to dig 13-year-old Ivan G. Smith out of a sand hole that collapsed on him at Salisbury Beach.

He died after his head remained submerged beneath sand for at least 30 to 40 minutes, before rescue workers could reach him, according to Salisbury Police Inspector Richard Simmons. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ivan Smith, 13

[Arrangements, which were incomplete at Townsman presstime on Wednesday, are as follows: Calling hours will be held Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dewhirst & Conte Funeral Home, 28 Florence St., Andover. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Augustine Church, Essex Street, Andover. Burial will be private.]

The Andover boy, who excelled in gym class as well as Latin class, was the son of Andover Town Accountant Rodney "Rod" and Nancy Smith of 2 Tanglewood Way North.

"He will be greatly missed by all his loved ones," said Rod Smith.

The Smith family gathered at their Andover home to cope with the tragedy.

"Their statement was that it was a freak accident. No one is to blame. It's just a horrible tragedy," says Jayan Conlin, of Trauma Intervention Program. "They're coping as best they can under the circumstances, with the support of family and friends."

The sinkhole was created by four children, including Smith, who decided to dig a giant hole on the beach on a 30-foot wide stretch of sand between the Beach Club and the Five O'Clock Entertainment Club on Ocean Front Street, said reports. Just after 8 p.m. that evening, the hole reached between three and four feet deep, said Simmons, which is when it became a hazard.

"They were jumping in and out of the hole, and at some point (Smith) jumped in and the hole caved in on him," Simmons said.

The three other kids ran to a nearby bar for help, and bystanders scrambled to dig the boy out before rescue crews arrived. Though emergency response was almost immediate, it was difficult for crews to reach the boy, Simmons said. An hour and a half later, Ivan Smith was pulled lifeless from the sinkhole.

Beach-goers often dig holes for fun, and holes up to waist-deep are still considered safe, said Simmons.

"But that hole was probably almost head high," he added.

Police have not released the identities of the three other kids involved, all boys ages 11-15. It is unknown whether they are from Andover.

TIP's Conlin said the Smith family was concerned about the friends who had helped dig the hole and how they would react, and had reached out to them to offer comfort.

"It's a tragic accident," said Simmons. "Everybody was distraught over it. None of us likes to see anything like this happen."

Salisbury Beach remained open to the public after the town's Department of Public Works employees filled in the hole.

The mood around Town Hall was somber yesterday morning, Wednesday, as workers learned of the tragic accident.

Rod Smith has been the town accountant for almost 20 years and staffers in his office said Ivan often stopped by on rainy afternoons to coax his dad into a ride home. Ivan attended nearby Doherty Middle School where he would have been an eighth-grade student next month. He was an honor student last year and Principal Flloyd McManus remembered him as a "kid who enjoyed school."

"He did well academically and had an active social life. He was a positive member of the Doherty community. Our hearts go out to his family," McManus said.

Town Manager Buzz Stapczynski, who stopped by the family's home yesterday morning, said Rod talked about cycling with Ivan and the two often joined the Department of Community Services-sponsored cycling trips held every Wednesday night.

"They enjoyed biking and did lots of it," Stapczynski said. "They just camped in Maine."

Before Doherty, Ivan attended Bancroft School where Principal Norah McCarthy remembered "the great little guy who loved to talk."

"His parents were unbelievably supportive of our school. They came to every function," she said through tears. "You never think anything like this would happen. I can't imagine what the family is going through."

Ivan has one brother, Nicholas Smith, who is confined to a wheelchair. Ivan often talked proudly about physically-challenged people, using his brother as an example, McCarthy said.

Arrangements were incomplete at presstime and are under the direction of Dewhirst & Conte Funeral Home, 28 Florence St.