Rock hunter rescued after sand nearly swallows him on northern Michigan beach
Firefighters rescued a northern Michigan man on April 12 after he sank up to his waist in sand on the shore of Lake Michigan near Leland while rock hunting with his girlfriend.
"Saturday, while at Van's Beach in Leland rock hunting, my boyfriend was quickly consumed by what looked like 2 inches of water right at the shore," Breanne Sika said in a Facebook post. "It took seconds for him to be this deep, but caught his leg sideways which stopped him from sinking more."
Leland Township Fire and Rescue Chief Dan Besson on Friday, April 18, said firefighters were dispatched to aid the stranded man, Mitchell O'Brien, at 6:10 p.m. April 12 and found him stuck in the sand south of the harbor.
Besson said firefighters got a life jacket to O'Brien and then secured a rope around him. Finally, firefighters helped dig around him and lift his legs out. The rescue took about 20 minutes.
Besson said it's unclear why the sand gave way under O'Brien, but speculated he was walking in an area where sand from harbor dredging had been deposited and it wasn't stable.
"It's unexpected," he said. "He hit a soft pocket where, maybe, the sand didn't settle. We've never had an incident like this."
Sika, on Facebook, said firefighters saved the day.
"Without their help he never would have gotten out," she said in her post. "Had this been a single person, a child or an animal I can't say the outcome would have been the same. Please be aware. I don't want this to happen to you. Stay safe and welcome to spring!!!!!!!"
Sika added in a second post that the sand in the area appeared unusual and "intense" before O'Brien became stuck.
"I pointed and said 'that looks very dangerous.' I step away from that area as the sand felt very soft and pick up a rock. I turn around to Mitch being consumed by Vans beach!" she wrote. "He kept me calm while he sank waist deep in what looks like 2 inches of water!"
Sika wrote she tried to call 911, but could not get a signal so tossed O'Brien his phone and he called 911.
"Minutes later we had a fire fighter throwing Mitch a life jacket then lassoed him! 3 more wonderful fire fighters then came running and all jumped into action!" she wrote.
Sika said the happy ending has turned into a good story.
"After warming up we've had nothing but laughs from this wild adventure!" she wrote.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Traverse City area rock hunter sinks in sand, rescued by firefighters
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