- Love really does work in mysterious ways.
Quicksand traps used to be adventure movie staples back in the day. The hero or his gorgeous sidekick would start sinking in quicksand, only to be saved at the last moment, usually with some kind of romantic results.
Mitchell O’Brien got to live that scenario out in reality.
O’Brien was out on a sunset walk on a Lake Michigan beach with his coworker, Breanne Sika. The two absolutely, positively were not officially dating, but were only out to gather some Leland blue stones.
When crossing the ground in front of a water runoff, O’Brien suddenly sank waist-deep into the wet sand. He tried to free himself, but to no avail.
After struggling for a while, O’Brien and Sika realized it was time to call for help. They called 911 separately, and rescuers soon arrived to dig and pull O’Brien out of his predicament.
During the emergency call, however, the words “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” were mentioned. Once O’Brien was free, there was no denying it — their relationship had become Facebook official.
Congratulations to O’Brien and Sika from us at Oddee. Oh, and they’re putting up warning signs around the runoff to prevent it from creating any more new couples.
‘It Was Very Quick’
O’Brien and Sika both work at a recovery clinic in Traverse City, Michigan. The two coworkers got along really well, and were kind of, sort, potentially thinking of entertaining the idea of maybe considering dating, at some point.
Maybe.
On April 12, then, they decided to go on a sunset walk along a beach on Lake Michigan. You know, as you typically do with friends.
Officially, however, they were there to pick up Leland blue stones that often wash ashore in these parts. The bright blue pebbles are actually slag from old iron smelting plants that found its way in Lake Michigan.
As O’Brien and Sika strolled along the beach, they came by water runoff pipe spewing a wet sand slurry across the beach. The thing is part of Leland Township’s dredging operation, serving as an outlet for an underwater vacuum slurping up sand on the bottom of the lake.
The couple didn’t think much of the water running across their path and began to cross the stream.
“It didn’t look that bad. It just looked like wet sand by the time we were there,” O’Brien told MLive.
That’s where he was wrong. Without warning, a hidden spot of quicksand swallowed O’Brien up to his waist.
“It was very quick. I had time to turn around and get my cell phone out of my pocket. That was pretty much it,” he mused to ABC affiliate UpNorthLive.
Completely Stuck-stuck
O’Brien tried to free himself from the sand trap. However, after struggling for 15 minutes, he realized it was a futile effort.
“I was stuck-stuck — like, 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,” he recalled.
With that, O’Brien and Sika decided it was time to call 911. O’Brien called first on his own phone, but the connection was terrible and the operator hung up, as they thought he was a telemarketer.
So, the two decided to both call the emergency number to increase their chances of getting through. They did, and help arrived in a few minutes.
The rescuers initially dug around O’Brien’s legs to loosen the sand up a bit. They then pulled him out with a lasso.
With that, O’Brien was free. But he couldn’t help but notice that he and Sika had both said something on the phone that had remained unspoken so far.
“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,’” said O’Brien.
It seems like they had both let their guard down in the heat of the moment. O’Brien and Sika are now officially dating, thanks in part to the quicksand.
That said, the local authorities have decided they should warn people about the romantic deathtrap. According to the Leland Township Fire Department, they will post warning signs around the dredge runoff to warn other couples to stay away.
What to Do In Quicksand?
While O’Brien’s and Sika’s quicksand encounter had a cute ending, it was actually a dangerous situation. If you ever find yourself stuck in quicksand, you should take appropriate precautions before you start throwing glances at the nearest hottie.
First of all, you shouldn’t panic. We know that’s easier said than done, but going nuts can cause you to make motions that only cause you to sink deeper.
If you can, you should try to grab something sturdy, like a branch, tree root, or something else that you can hold on to. Then, try to lay back as far as you can to distribute your weight and prevent yourself from sinking deeper.
You can also try to wiggle your legs back and forth to introduce more water into the sand slurry. It can make the sand more liquid and allow you to pull your legs out (abandon your shoes if you must), at which point you should roll away to keep yourself from sinking again.
However, it’s quite likely that you won’t be able to free yourself. The good thing is, it’s also unlikely that you’ll sink completely, so start calling for help as soon as you’re somewhat stable.
We suppose having your sweetheart with you to call 911 helps at that point.