EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been updated to reflect the latest information.
HOLLAND (WHTC-AM/FM) — One person was treated at Holland State Park in an ambulance Saturday evening, after emergency responders were called wiith a report of a struggling swimmer. (See photo gallery.)
Ottawa County Sheriff’s Sgt. J. Douglas said a statement that Good Samaritans pulled a 13-year-old boy from the water near the North Pier where he was struggling in the large waves. The child never lost consciousness and was treated at the scene by paramedics from the Sheriff’s Office and AMR before being turned over to his parents.
Red flags were flying, but many people had ventured into the rough surf. The pier had already been closed by park staff — though some visitors went beyond the barrier.
Sgt. Douglas indicated the boy was in the water outside the marked swim zone, where waves were hitting heights of about 4 feet.The Sheriff’s Office issued a reminder of the dangers along the piers and breakwaters during red flag conditions. The strong wind and waves cause strong structural currents along the piers and breakwaters that will quickly sweep a person into the lake, overpowering the strongest of swimmers.
Douglas’s statement encouraged beachgoers to respect the power of the lake, stay in the marked swim zones, and to follow swimming advisories made by the park staff via the flag system.
