Michigan Sand Dune Collapse shocks as 9?year?old buried five feet under sand, revived by CPR at Silver Lake Sand Dunes

A 9?year?old boy from Livingston County is home and recovering after being buried under approximately five feet of sand at the Silver Lake State Park sand dunes in Oceana County Friday night. The emergency highlights persistent risks associated with deep sand holes and underscores new calls for strict safety regulations at Michigan’s popular dune sites.

Comprehensive timeline reveals what went wrong at Silver Lake

Emergency dispatch logged the collapse at 9:28?p.m. Park officials say the boy and his family were digging a hole near a pedestrian access point on the dunes’ northeast side when the sand gave way, completely covering the child for more than five minutes. Public off?road vehicle patrols, which include Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officer Logan Turner and Park Ranger Cody Anscombe, were first to respond.

They met bystanders who had dug the child out but found him unresponsive and without a pulse. Conservation Officer Turner performed approximately 70–80 chest compressions during CPR, prompting the boy to regain breathing and circulation. By 9:35?p.m., the child was stable and transported with his mother to an ambulance, then to Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital before being transferred to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, where he has since been released.

Expert and official commentary highlights critical urgency

Scott Pratt, Chief of Southern Field Operations for DNR Parks and Recreation, emphasized that collapsing sand poses serious even fatal dangers. “Digging deep holes is not allowed. Collapsing sand can be extremely dangerous, even fatal. Keep holes shallow, fill them in before leaving and never allow unsupervised digging” . Dune collapse incidents in Michigan are not rare – media outlets report a similar 2024 incident where a 12?year?old was trapped under five feet of sand at the same dunes . Geologists describe how voids can form within dunes, especially near tree remnants or organic decay areas.

In an article by the Smithsonian Magazine a geographer and dune expert, confirmed that Michigan dunes are susceptible to “decomposition chimneys”—voids created when buried trees decay. “Visitors often don’t see these hazards until it’s too late,” he noted. “These voids can collapse suddenly under weight.” He urges statewide dune risk assessments and public information campaigns to address the hazard.

Michigan sand dune collapse shows visitors urged to heed safety rules

The DNR, alongside the Hart Area Fire Department, Life EMS, and the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office, are renewing calls for visitor vigilance. Shallow holes and filled?in pits are essential, they stress. The Silver Lake dunes are part of a broader Michigan initiative to map and mitigate sand collapse risks—projected under 2024 appropriations to delineate critical dune areas.

Michigan dunes and public safety measures

Michigan’s dunes routinely draw thousands of visitors. The Environmental Quality Act now mandates dune mapping and hazard identification across the state. A 2013 Indiana incident at Mount Baldy, where a child fell into a sand void for hours, led to research into dune collapse mechanics—identifying tree-decomposition chimneys as a core risk.

Currently, a coordinated effort between Michigan DNR, MSU, and county emergency units seeks to install signage, community alerts, and patrols at high-risk dunes, with lessons drawn from previous tragedies elsewhere in the U.S.

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