By Maria Wilson

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    HAMPTON, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Milford teenager is being treated for a broken neck and other injuries after a diving accident on Hampton Beach.

Aiden Sloan’s mother said her son was swimming with his cousins when he dove into what he thought was a deep wave, but he ended up hitting a sandbar.

When Aiden didn’t surface, his cousin pulled him out of the water and onto the beach.

“They realized that his eyes were bulging out of his head, and he could not bring himself above water, so they dragged him out,” said Aiden’s mother, Melina Burton.

Burton said he broke his neck, bruised his spine and suffered a concussion. He was taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital and then transported to Boston once he was stabilized.

“I got to Portsmouth. Aiden was there,” Burton said. “He was injured, and he was lying flat. He was cracking jokes and laughing, and he was his normal self, which brought me some comfort, which was nice. Unfortunately, he’s not his normal self now.”

Doctors put rods and screws in his neck, and Burton said he still can’t move his hand or his legs that much and is in a lot of pain. He remains in intensive care.

Patrick Murphy is the Chief Lifeguard at Hampton Beach. He said it’s not always easy to tell just how deep a wave is.

“You just have to be very careful because it is shallow, and you really want to examine where you’re diving before you do it,” Murphy said.

Aiden is expected to stay in the hospital for several weeks before going to a rehabilitation facility.