Quicksand at Beach Swallows Michigan Man

There's nothing like enjoying any one of Michigan's amazing beaches. However one Michigander may have second thoughts before walking on the beach.

Michigan's Beaches are the Best!

From Caseville to Port Huron, Mackinaw City to Traverse City, Michigan has stunning beaches along the Great Lakes. But then you have all the inland lakes like Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake, even Lake Fenton.

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A day at the beach is meant for relaxation and decompressing... not a stressful and terrifying experience. Stressed and terrified would be a good description for a recent visit to Lake Michigan by Mitchell O’Brien and Breanne Sika.

Man Visits Beach, Beach Eats Man

I've always thought about all the animals that are unseen under the veil of the waterline, more so in the ocean or the Gulf. No one has been eaten by a shark in the Great Lakes. But a man was eaten by a beach of all things.

Co-workers Mitchell and Breanne were walking along the Reynolds Street Beach as Leland County was dredging the harbor. As the employees of a Recovery Center in Traverse City who may have been on a date, happened to walk over the dredging outwash when Mitchell began to sink.

911 Didn't Believe The Emergency Call

After Mitchell struggled for around 15 minutes or so to free himself, he called 911. However because of poor reception, 911 thought the call was a prank and hung up on him.

Apparently the 911 dispatcher was under the impression that the man was a telemarketer. Michael called back along with Breanne to reinforce the seriousness of the situation.

Love Is In The Air

O'Brien said “Then, we both get through at the same time, 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." And that's when they became a couple.

Mitchell continues, “That was literally the first time we defined our relationship. It happened with two separate 911 operators at the same time.”

Mitchell's Romantic Rescue

Emergency crews showed up, gave Mitchell a life jacket, moved some sand from around his feet, then pulled him out with a rope and lasso. He said he is sore, but thankful that he's okay overall.

The Township has since posted cautionary signs on the beach while the dredging is in progress. I guess it's better late than never. Had there been a warning sign, would this couple have ended up together?