A 37-year-old father of 6 died after being struck by a wave in a 'freak accident'

• A father of six died Friday after he was struck by a wave on a North Carolina beach, his wife said on Facebook.
• Lee Dingle, 37, was playing on the beach Thursday with three of his children when the wave knocked him to the ground, his wife Shannon Dingle wrote.
• Upon impact, he broke his neck and his throat swelled to the point that his brain was deprived of oxygen, Shannon said.
• "Some heroes — including our kids — tried to save him, but it wouldn't have mattered what they did. His body couldn't recover from the initial injury," Shannon wrote.
• As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe has raised over $160,00 to support the Dingle family.
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A father of six died Friday after he was struck by a wave on an Oak Island, North Carolina, beach, his wife said on Facebook.

Lee Dingle, 37, was playing on the beach with three of his children on Thursday when the wave knocked him to the ground, his wife Shannon Dingle wrote. Upon impact, he broke his neck, and his throat swelled to the point that his brain was deprived of oxygen, Shannon said.

"Some heroes — including our kids — tried to save him, but it wouldn't have mattered what they did. His body couldn't recover from the initial injury," Shannon wrote.

The Oak Island Water Rescue said that it worked along with bystanders and local police, firefighters, and paramedics to "give this gentleman the best chance for survival." 

Dingle died at his home Friday, one day after the "freak accident," Shannon said.

"We met when I was 18 and he was 19, and we've been together ever since," she wrote. "I wasn't supposed to be saying goodbye at 37. I don't know how to be a grown up without him, but I'll learn. I just wish I didn't have to."

Dingle worked at Atlas Engineering in Raleigh for 15 years, according to ABC 11. He was promoted to partner  — a long-held dream of his — just three weeks ago, according to the outlet.

He is survived by his six children and wife, Shannon.

In 2016, ABC 11 first reported on the Dingle family's struggle to modify a van for their daughter Zoe, then-4, who lives with cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair. In a follow-up story, ABC 11 reported that one of its readers came forward to pay for the family to get an electric lift after it proved difficult for them to get state funding to do so.

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A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family recover from the unexpected tragedy. The money raised will go to funeral expenses and bills. As of Monday afternoon, the GoFundMe has raised over $160,00 of its $200,000 goal. The page says any money raised over the goal will go toward the family.

"Lee loved and lived generously. The magnitude of this loss cannot be understated. " the fundraiser states. "Please help care for his family in his absence." 

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