UPDATE 7/18/23 6 p.m.
A scary situation could have had tragic consequences for a family at a Northern Michigan beach.
But quick thinking, and the selfless acts of strangers who stepped in, saved the day.
A mom and her two sons were rescued from the waters of Lake Michigan Monday. This only a reminder to people of the dangers of rip currents.
Police from the Ludington Police Department said signs are posted near the pier to swim at least 150 feet away to prevent what happened since the waters near the pier can quickly pull you under to where you can’t touch.
Especially when the water conditions are rough.
Luckily, an off duty police officer and a kiteboarder were nearby to help.
Off duty Paw Paw Police Officer Eric Rottman was at the beach near the pier in Ludington with his wife, Chelsea Rottman and sister-in-law. He said he sprant into action to help the mom and her two boys, aged 7 and 10.
“So I immediately jumped in to help them. I was able to grab a hold of him, try swimming into shore, but that wasn’t working. So we swam way from the pier and I was able to get him to a point where he could stand and told him to walk up to the beach,” Rottman said.
Rottman said he looked over and saw the mom struggling in the water with the other son.
“She looked like she was going under,” he said.
Rottman said they were able to get them back to shore with Rottman’s sister-in-law’s help from the pier.
“My sister in law was able to throw off some life preservers for her that belonged to her children,” Rottman said. “So I was able to get one of those underneath the mom’s arm, gave one to the child that was still hanging onto her.”
But the mom had to be carried since she was exhausted from fighting the rip currents.
“I look back and the oldest child had swam back to the pier, I believe, trying to help mom some more,” Rottman said.
Meanwhile, kiteboarder Frank Schwartz just happened to be walking by.
“I turned around and I saw a number of people in distress in the water,” Schwartz said
Schwartz said he took off his kiteboarding gear and jumped in.
“I went into the water, got about waist deep and the riptide just grabbed me and sucked me out there. And which was a good thing because it brought me close to this young lad,” he said.
Schwartz said he grabbed the kid and instructed him how to kick toward people on the pier with a flotation ring connected with a cord.
“We kicked toward the ring. I attached him and the folks up on the pier walked them back to safety. Soon as I let go of them, I continued to get dragged out, never in danger because I had a life vest,” Schwartz said.
No one was injured, but the mom was checked out a a nearby hospital.
7/18/23 10 a.m.
The Ludington Police Department said Tuesday that two boys and their mom were rescued after struggling in the water near the north breakwater at Stearns Beach.
At 12:46 p.m. on Monday, Stearns Beach first responders were called to the beach for a report of several people struggling in the water near the north breakwater.
Two Hudsonville boys, ages 7 and 10, were rescued by four people who were walking out on the breakwater, police said. The boys’ mother, a 39-year-old Hudsonville woman, also needed to be rescued after she went in the water after the boys, police said.
No injuries were reported among those rescued, but the mom was taken to Corwell Ludington Hospital, where she was treated and released.
Ludington Police Department issued a special thank you to the four who saved the family: Eric Rottman, Chelsea Rottman, Frank Schwartz and Megan Styf. Eric Rottman is an off-duty Paw Paw police officer, officials said.
Responding agencies include Ludington Fire, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, LIFE EMS and Ludington Police Department.
The Ludington Police Department would like to remind residents and visitors about the hazards associated with swimming near breakwater structures and the importance of observing the no swimming area boundaries. It is especially dangerous to swim next to breakwater structures during rough conditions.
