Michigan man escapes 'quicksand' with no injuries and a new girlfriend
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Mitchell O'Brien began sinking in "quicksand" on a beach in Leland, Michigan on April 13 while rock hunting. After his girlfriend documented the event, he was rescued by firefighters. (Photo credit: Breanne Sika)
April 21 (UPI) -- A Michigan man who became stuck up to his waist in "quicksand" on a Lake Michigan beach emerged without injuries -- and with a girlfriend.
Traverse City residents Mitchell O'Brien and Breanne Sika said they were searching for Leland blue stones at Reynolds Street Beach when O'Brien took a wrong step about 5 feet past the shoreline and sank into the sand.
"If it was obviously unstable, we would not have walked out on it," he told Mlive. "But it didn't look that bad. It just looked like wet sand by the time we were there. Most of it was firm enough to walk on."
O'Brien told The Detroit News that his first thought was actually, "Oh, not this again."
He explained the incident "isn't the first time I've dealt with something like this on the Great Lakes."
O'Brien said he was able to escape his previous predicament by flopping down on his backside, but this situation was considerably more sticky.
"My left leg, I couldn't move it. It's like there was something holding it underground. It was crazy how hard it was there," O'Brien said.
O'Brien and Sika, co-workers from the 217 Recovery Center clinic in Traverse City who had only recently started questioning whether their friendship could be something more, both called 911.
"Then, we both get through at the same time," he said. "And I just go, 'I think my girlfriend's trying to call, too.' And she, at the same time, about 20 feet away, says, 'my boyfriend is stuck in the sand.'"
"That was literally the first time we defined our relationship. It happened with two separate 911 operators at the same time," O'Brien said.
Firefighters arrived on scene and were able to pull O'Brien free from his predicament.
Mitchell O'Brien began sinking in "quicksand" on a beach in Leland, Michigan on April 13 while rock hunting. After his girlfriend documented the event, he was rescued by firefighters. (Photo credit: Breanne Sika)
The patch of quicksand was found to have been caused by a hydraulic dredge charged with removing about 60,000 cubic yards of sand from the harbor bottom for the Van's and Reynolds Street public beaches.
Leland Township Fire Chief Dan Besson said signs are now being posted to warn beach visitors that the slurry from the dredging outwash could lead to dangerous situations.
"This is one of those rare things," Besson said. "It's the first time we've had an issue."
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