SILVER LAKE, Mich. — The sun beat down through a smattering of clouds on the sand dunes Thursday as thrill seekers and those looking to chill gathered to celebrate Independence Day.
The scene was chaotic but absolutely under control.
Every make and model of vehicle imaginable traversed the sand. ORVs, quads, cars, trucks and homemade buggies zoomed by, their flags waving high.
Every vehicle out on the Silver Lake Sand Dunes is required to display an orange rectangular flag 10 feet up.
There are a number of regulations visitors must adhere to when venturing out onto the dunes.
That is where the folks of the DNR, the parks and rec department and the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office come in, all working in unison to make sure everyone makes it home safely.
“We do see too many times vacations end in tragedy, and we don't want that,” Deputy Michael Fillips said Thursday. “We want people to have their vacations end safely, and it's not just them but the people around them.”
FOX 17 had the chance to ride alongside Deputy Fillips for his Fourth of July rounds.
“These officers are writing more citations in a summer than most other state parks write in a career for safety violations.”
While visitors can get into walking and hiking areas on foot, there is a list of rules for those driving onto the vehicle space of the dunes.
All vehicles in the off-road area are required to have a Michigan Recreation Passport, a Michigan ORV registration and an ORV trail permit.
No alcohol or drug use is allowed throughout the area.
Drivers and all passengers in four-wheel, enclosed vehicles must be wearing their seat belts. Those driving ATVs or motorcycles are required to wear helmets at all times.
Emergency lights, strobe lights, rotating or blinking lights are not allowed on ORV vehicles.
And perhaps most importantly, you are required to drive safely, taking care not to present a danger to others.
For the Fourth of July and the following weekend, the Oceana County Sheriff has an additional two deputies working the area.
Even with precautions, accidents happen.
Thursday, a teenager from out of town crashed his side-by-side four-wheel vehicle.
The young man was lucky to have a five-point harness on, only receiving minor injuries to his head.
Deputy Fillips rushed to the sight of the crash at the bottom of a dune, where a DNR officer was already checking the kid out.
The teenager seemed a bit disoriented, unable to properly pronounce the location he had stayed the night before.
His vehicle had vaulted down a steep incline.
Deputy Fillips quickly ruled out whether or not the teen was under the influence.
The teen blew into a mobile breathalyzer, proving he was clean.
“The only issue I had was when he was talking, he was using improper words,” Deputy Fillips said following the check. “Making sure that wasn't from intoxication, but, now we need to worry that that's from injury … so, we got to get through to dad to see what they want to do.”
After being checked out medically, the teen got a ride back to where he had been staying, and patrols moved on.
Despite any momentary setbacks, the goal of the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office remains to make sure everyone can enjoy their holiday, and eventually make it safely home.
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