A father of six who was playing with three of his kids on the beach, has died in a freak accident.

Lee Dingle (37) from North Carolina in the US, died after a wave crashed into him. The tragic incident took place on Thursday July 18 during a family trip.

In the freak accident Lee was knocked off his feet by an intense wave which drove his head into the sand, Mirror UK reports.

The force of the wave caused his neck to break on impact with the ground. His children looked on in horror.

Lee's wife, Shannon, posted about the incident on Facebook. She explained that after being hit by the wave, Lee's throat swelled up to such an extent that his brain was deprived of oxygen, CBS News reports.

"A few heroes - including our kids - tried to save him, but it wouldn't have mattered what they did, his body couldn't recover from the injury," 37-year-old Shannon wrote in the post.

She says she met Lee when she was 18 and he was 19.

"I don't know how to be a grown up without him, but I'll learn. I just wish I didn't have to," the devastated wife wrote.

Shannon shared several photos of her late husband and their six children - four of whom are adopted - on social media. She described Lee as a model husband and father.

"I think anyone who knew Lee was just a better person for it. Having that example of kindness and love and generosity in our lives, have made us better people."