Oak Island, NC — July 14, 2025, a teen was injured in a truck accident at about 2:10 p.m. on the beach near Womble Street.
Authorities said a 2020 GMC pickup was doing survey work when it ran over a teen’s legs while driving on the beach between Womble and Keziah Street.
The 15-year-old, who had been lying on the beach, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the accident, according to authorities.
The truck reportedly belongs to an engineering company that was hired to do beach monitoring.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the accident at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear about a pickup truck running over someone on the beach, their first question is usually: How does that even happen? Beaches aren’t highways, and most folks assume they’re safe from traffic when they’re lying in the sand. That’s why this incident raises a number of questions that need answering.
The truck in question was reportedly doing survey work for an engineering firm hired to monitor the beach. But that doesn’t explain how a 15-year-old lying on the beach ended up under the wheels. It’s not clear whether the teen was in plain view, whether the driver had a clear line of sight or what protocols, if any, the company had in place for operating vehicles near beachgoers.
From a legal perspective, a few key questions rise to the top: Was the driver maintaining a proper lookout? Were spotters used? Did the company provide adequate training or procedures for safely operating on an active public beach? These aren’t academic questions; they go directly to how we determine responsibility.
In my experience, work vehicles operating in public spaces are supposed to have safeguards in place. That includes designated driving paths, lookouts for blind spots and strict limits on where and how they can move around people. If any of those safeguards were missing, or ignored, then this wasn’t just an unfortunate accident. It may have been preventable.
Getting to the bottom of this will likely require more than just an incident report. Companies that use trucks for beach work typically outfit them with GPS systems, backup alarms and sometimes even dash cameras. If this truck had any of that equipment, it could help clarify how close the teen was when the truck approached, how fast it was moving and whether the driver had any opportunity to react.
Also worth investigating: the driver’s training records and the company’s internal safety policies. In similar cases I’ve handled, it’s not unusual to find out that someone was sent out with minimal instructions or was rushing to finish a job without regard for safety.
Until we have those answers, it’s impossible to say exactly what went wrong here, but someone needs to be asking the right questions.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s unclear whether the truck driver had a clear line of sight or followed proper procedures when operating near people on the beach.
- Evidence like dash cam footage, GPS data, and cell phone records could help clarify how the accident unfolded.
- The engineering company’s training protocols and safety procedures should be closely examined.
- Operating survey vehicles in public spaces typically requires extra precautions that may or may not have been followed here.
- Determining accountability depends on a full investigation of both the driver’s actions and the company’s role in managing beach operations.
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