The accident happened shortly after 3:30pm when a 39-foot-log collided with the boy's family as they were walking on the beach near Monkhouse Road in Crystal Beach.
The teen brother and toddler were with their grandfather when a large driftwood log began rolling. LaShaun Lovejoy Huff, 3, was killed after the log rolled about four feet down the sand dune before striking him. The teen and grandfather both tried to stop the log from striking the little boy.
Investigators say the log is about 39 feet in length, three feet in diameter and weighs several hundred pounds. Rescue crews tried to save Huff using four-wheel-drive vehicles to push the log away but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deputies believe the log was at the top of a beach dune and the disturbance in the sand when the family walked by may have caused it to shift and then roll.
The toddler's teenage brother was also injured and transported to UTMB. Relatives were at the hospital with the teen but they did not want to talk about the accident.
The grandfather also received some minor injuries, but the teen brother was the only one transported.
