Pictured above are photos from 1954 of Oak Island, North Carolina, a beach which was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel when the October storm came ashore. Oak Island rebuilt and is now once again a popular beach for vacationers desirous of having fun on the shore. While that and any beach on the North Carolina shore from the Outer Banks all the way to South Carolina understand the perilous nature of their existence, Oak Island or any other beach certainly doesn't expect a tragedy at a time of fair weather and following seas. Tragedy, however, waits for no certain weather or place to strike, for freak situations sometimes fool even the wisest of experts. Oak Island experienced just such a situation this past weekend.
Lee Pringle, a man in his late twenties and a loving husband and father of six children, happened to find himself in the position of facing just one of those perfectly aligned dangerous situation. Accompanied by three of his children and with his wife right there on the beach, he was in standing water and floating up and over the waves just before they crested when one wave crested earlier and smacked him in the head so hard that it drove him head first into the sand, instantly breaking his neck. His children and others near him carried him out of the surf but the damage was done. With his throat swelling from the bruising wave, he lost oxygen until it was restored later and he died the next day. Who would have expected such tragedy on a nice family day at the beach.
Don't think such accidents can't happen to you, for even on the Outer Banks I remember when Michael Johnson, co-owner with his wife of OBX Attitude in Avon, had a harrowing accident a year ago while riding waves. And while he recovered, Michael went through a painful and grueling recovery process that I know he will never forget. And what do such accidents tell us?
Well, it's very simple and it's that things can happen in a flash that can turn life upside down in an instant. So, while you aren't supposed to stop having fun and living life to it's fullest, just be careful out there and realize that life is short. And in the case of Lee Pringle, a man who rose to the top of his engineering company in Raleigh where he recently became company president, it's particularly tragic. He was a fine man, not only making it to the top in his profession as a young man, but four of his children were adopted. This good man who used his success to help others in need will be sorely missed in his community. Our prayers most certainly need to go out to his wife and children and the word is out that there is a Go Fund Me page for his family. I'm sure they would appreciate any help any of us can provide for raising six children by a young mother without her husband is truly a daunting task.
Be careful out there, my friends. And whatever you think your fate will be when this life on earth is done, make your decisions and plans for it today. This tragic story shows us that you might be given the opportunity for a deathbed repentance. Sometimes things don't work out that way.
Lee Pringle, a man in his late twenties and a loving husband and father of six children, happened to find himself in the position of facing just one of those perfectly aligned dangerous situation. Accompanied by three of his children and with his wife right there on the beach, he was in standing water and floating up and over the waves just before they crested when one wave crested earlier and smacked him in the head so hard that it drove him head first into the sand, instantly breaking his neck. His children and others near him carried him out of the surf but the damage was done. With his throat swelling from the bruising wave, he lost oxygen until it was restored later and he died the next day. Who would have expected such tragedy on a nice family day at the beach.
Don't think such accidents can't happen to you, for even on the Outer Banks I remember when Michael Johnson, co-owner with his wife of OBX Attitude in Avon, had a harrowing accident a year ago while riding waves. And while he recovered, Michael went through a painful and grueling recovery process that I know he will never forget. And what do such accidents tell us?
Well, it's very simple and it's that things can happen in a flash that can turn life upside down in an instant. So, while you aren't supposed to stop having fun and living life to it's fullest, just be careful out there and realize that life is short. And in the case of Lee Pringle, a man who rose to the top of his engineering company in Raleigh where he recently became company president, it's particularly tragic. He was a fine man, not only making it to the top in his profession as a young man, but four of his children were adopted. This good man who used his success to help others in need will be sorely missed in his community. Our prayers most certainly need to go out to his wife and children and the word is out that there is a Go Fund Me page for his family. I'm sure they would appreciate any help any of us can provide for raising six children by a young mother without her husband is truly a daunting task.
Be careful out there, my friends. And whatever you think your fate will be when this life on earth is done, make your decisions and plans for it today. This tragic story shows us that you might be given the opportunity for a deathbed repentance. Sometimes things don't work out that way.
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