PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A Holland family who scrambled to free their son after a sand dune collapsed on top of him urged others to be careful.
It happened a few weeks ago at Tunnel Park near Holland. With the beach packed, 7-year-old Shepherd Banner and his family had to set up against a dune.
“We were digging at the dune and then one of my friends was putting sand in our hole and I was trying to dig it out and then the dune just collapsed on my back,” Shepherd recounted to 24 Hour News 8 Saturday.
In seconds, several cubic feet of sand were covering his entire body.
“I don’t know if I had my eyes open or if I had my eyes shut,” he described. “It was very dark.”
“There were four in my group who were frantically digging and I then was screaming for help,” his mother Susanna Banner said. “It was horrifying … I knew he has minutes to breathe. I don’t know how many minutes, but just it will only take minutes for him to suffocate.”
It took several minutes to dig Shepherd free.
View the full story on Wood TV