On Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 9:40 p.m., deputies received a call for a missing person in the Upper Silver Lake area according to a media release from Oceana County Undersheriff Ryan Schiller
A team effort was key to rescuing the 40-year-old Spring Lake man.
At 9:40 p.m., Mason-Oceana 911 received a call for a missing person in the Upper Silver Lake area. The caller to 911 reported that their family member was last seen at approximately 7:30 p.m. and was on his snowmobile headed north across Upper Silver Lake.
One of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office (OSCO) deputies arrived to speak with family and confirm the information. While our deputy was at the house talking with family, he went to see if he could still see any snowmobile tracks in the snow.
While he was out looking for tracks, he could hear someone yelling for help across the lake. Other sheriff’s office personnel responded along with troopers from MSP Hart Post.
Once our deputy learned that the person was injured, they called for Life EMS and Hart Area Fire to respond. One of the OSCO deputies and one of the Michigan State Police troopers crossed the ice to locate the injured man. He told them that he ran into the island due to the poor visibility and weather conditions, saying he could not see his hand in front of his face. When the snowmobile struck the island perimeter, it ejected him from the snowmobile.
OSCO reported that all of these first responders were out in blizzard conditions, and that is not an exaggeration. It was 24 degrees with a wind chill of 14 degrees. The deputy and trooper took their winter coats off to try and warm the man up who had been lying out in the conditions for at least two hours.
The 40-year-old Spring Lake man was located by sheriff’s deputies on the man-made island on Upper Silver Lake. He needed medical attention for his injuries and was transported by Life EMS to Trinity Health.
OSCO stated that this rescue was successful because of many agencies working together. Responding to the incident were Mason-Oceana 911, Michigan State Police – Hart Post, Life EMS, Hart Area Fire Department and the Pentwater Fire Department drone team.
