Taking to herFacebook pageon June 3,Jamie Acordrecalled walking on the water’s edge at George Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine, USA, with her husband when she “fell into a sink hole.”
HighlightsJamie Acord fell waist-deep into quicksand at George Popham Beach before her husband pulled her out.Jim Britt explained climate change and winter storms caused the softer sand where Jamie got trapped.Quicksand is a mix of sand and water that becomes unstable when disturbed, not swallowing people whole.
The mom-of-three wrote: “I fellin up to my hips, that’s 2.5 feet (nearly 0.8 meters) Patrick Acord (Jamie’s husband) said one minute I was there and the next I was not.
“I had to have him pull me out I could not do it on my own.
“I could not feel the bottom and I could not get a footing.
“My feet are scratched up as are my knees probably from rocks or sticks in the hole.
“Had I been a small child I would have disappeared into the hole. (I’m not kidding they would have been sucked in).”
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Image credits:Darren Lehane/Getty Images
Jamie went on to recount how herhusbandmanaged to pull her out from the hole before it completely disappeared.
People who are caught in supersaturated sand remain buoyant — people don’t sink in quicksand — allowing them to float and wriggle themselves to safety, Jim Britt, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, told theAssociated Press(AP) on June 6.
In this case,climate changeplayed a role in the intimidating episode at the state’s busiest state park beach, which draws more than 225,000 visitors each year, Jim explained.
Image credits:Jamie Acord
“It was kind of one of those moments where I didn’t know what to do,” Jamie toldPeopleon June 11. “This is a new thing that’s never happened before, and I go to that beach all the time.”
She further revealed to the outlet: “And as soon as he pulled me out, we turned around to look to see what had occurred because we just assumed I’d fallen in an actual hole and there was nothing there.
“It looked just like thebeach. It had filled itself right back in.”
In normal sand, grains are packed tightly together to form a rigid mass, with about 25 to 30 percent of the space (voids) between the grains filled with air or water.
According to Darrel, many sand grains are elongated rather than spherical, and loose packing of the grains can produce sand in which voids make up 30 to 70 percent of the mass.
Image credits:Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
The sand collapses, or becomes “quick,” when additional force from loading, vibration, or the upward migration of water overcomes the friction holding the grains together.
“I just dropped like a rock,” Jamie toldNews Center Maineon June 6. “[My husband] said I was there and then the next minute I wasn’t.”
Patrick said one minute, Jamie was there, and the next, she was not
“The sand is saturated with water,” spokesperson Jim told the local news outlet. “It’s even more unstable and very easy to find yourself sinking into it.”
Jim reportedly said the sand wouldn’t swallow a person whole. However, if someone does get stuck, they should stay calm, lean back, and wiggle their toes to get out.
“What is occurring is a 100-percent survivable scenario,” he added.
The expert revealed that the situation is a first for the department, as far as he’s aware. Nevertheless, saturated sand is common.
Image credits:ABC News
“Maybe you have a memory ofcampingand stepping in some sinkable mud, finding you’re up to your calf and how difficult it was, but you got yourself out,” Jim toldNews Center Maine. “I think this is the same type of situation.”
With Jamie’s ordeal circulating on social media in the past month, many people were reminded of quicksand’s terrifying depiction on screens.
Commenting on the woman’s testimony of her accident shared onGood Morning America’s official TikTok page, on June 12, a person confessed: “Ok this was one of my biggest fears as a kid.
“Oh and theBermuda Triangle. And killer bees taking over my town.”
Jamie’s ordeal sparked discussions on Hollywood’s dramatic and exaggerated portrayal of quicksand
Image credits:Jyssica Schwartz/Medium
A scary engulfment was notably illustrated in the 2008 movieIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullin a scene where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and his companions encounter quicksand.
The 1987 fantasy comedyThe Princess Bridefeatures a memorable scene in the Fire Swamp where the characters get caught in quicksand.
In the 1960ssitcomGilligan’s Island, various episodes feature quicksand traps, with the characters often finding themselves in comical situations involving quicksand.
In an episode of the1980sseriesThe A-TeamentitledThe Bend in the River: Part 1, the characters also deal with quicksand.
“Us 80s kids would be prepared for this,” a reader commented
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