A 12-year-old boy from Michigan was hospitalized after a sand dune collapsed at Silver Lake State Park.
A family trip that was intended to be a fun day for kids turned horrific when two kids playing incidentally got into an accident after an almost five foot sand dune collapse. The boy is now rehabilitated and entering treatment after being trapped for nearly 14 minutes inside the sand
Michigan Boy Hospitalized After Rescue
A Sunday spin at Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Michigan, took a tragic turn when a 12- time-old boy was buried under a collapsed beach drift.
According to the Oceana County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred while the boy and his 8-year-old sibling were digging holes and burying each other in the sand. One of the holes, roughly five feet deep, suddenly collapsed, which trapped the boy inside the dune.
The family who witnessed what had just passed yelled for help, and the parents who were there incontinently began calling for help and digging, the sheriff's office reported.
Oceana Sheriff's Office deputies were alerted around 7:00 p.m. A Golden Township deputy, who was on the scene, responded within two minutes of the accident. Upon arrival, the deputy found the family desperately trying to free the boy, who was not visible under the sand.
Emergency responders, including fire and EMS personnel, along with bystanders, worked together to extract the boy, who had been buried for approximately 14 minutes. When finally pulled from the sand, the child was unresponsive and not breathing. The first responders administered immediate medical treatment at the scene.
As of Monday, it was reported that the 12-year-old boy is being treated at DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids. The sheriff's office expresses their well wishes to the child and his family, stating that they are hoping the man recovers completely and will be out playing with his family again soon.
The police authorities also expressed gratitude to the medical responders and people around the vicinity, who helped immediately get the boy unstuck in the sand.
Safety Concerns at Popular Park
Silver Lake State Park is a well-known recreational area where visitors engage in various activities, such as beach outings, dune driving, kayaking, arcade games, and climbing The Little Sable Lighthouse.
The incident highlights the potential dangers of seemingly innocent activities like digging in the sand. The sand dune collapse is not the first incident in the park this year.
Earlier this year, a tragic incident occurred at a beach in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida, where a 7-year-old girl died after a hole she and her brother were digging collapsed.
The girl was buried completely, while her brother was buried up to his chest. Despite being transported to a hospital, the girl did not survive.
Dr. Stephen Leatherman of Florida International University, emphasized the dangers of children digging deep into these sand dunes, he calls them a potential death trap.
He stated that digging as deep as five feet is not advisable. When digging a hole in the sand, it should only be two feet deep.
Leatherman explained that when people dig holes deeper than two bases deep and get in them, at least where their body's below the beach position, the beach starts drying out immediately.
And dry beaches can only hold a 33- degree angle, and people dig these holes nearly vertically.
The recent incident at Silver Lake State Park serves as a tragic reminder of the pitfalls associated with deep beach holes, prompting parents and children to exercise caution during sand dunes.
