Aiden Sloan, 19, of Milford, recently broke his neck while diving into a wave at Hampton Beach. Courtesy photo/GoFundMe

HAMPTON — Aiden Sloan, 19, of Milford, was enjoying time with his cousins diving into the waves crashing on Hampton Beach — that was until he misjudged the depth of the water and dove headfirst into a sandbar.

The incident, which occurred on the afternoon of June 23, resulted in Sloan breaking his neck and being knocked unconscious. He also bruised his spine and suffered a concussion.

Chief Lifeguard Patrick Murphy said the depth of the water can be deceptive.

“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,” he said in an interview with WMUR.

Sloan’s cousins, Michael Henry and Gabriel Ruiz, pulled him back to shore and into the care of Hampton firefighters. He was then taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital and was ultimately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Although doctors were able to repair Sloan’s spine, his mother, Melina Burton, is still racked by feelings of fear and helplessness.

“It’s really heartbreaking to know that your child is injured and he’s in pain and there’s nothing that you can do for him,” she told reporters.

Sloan is expected to remain in the hospital for several weeks and is undergoing physical therapy. Once he is released from MGH, Sloan will be taken to a rehabilitation facility.

“He is unable to move his legs and hands at this point but is able to move his arms,” said family friend Jessica O’Brien, who created the Help Aiden Heal GoFundMe page. To date, $49,625 has been raised to cover medical expenses.

Prior to the accident, Sloan was working as a chef at the Noodle Bar in the Nash Casino. He also previously worked at Greenleaf in Milford. For the remainder of the month, Greenleaf will donate 25 percent of its small plates sales to Sloan’s recovery effort.