A 57-year-old man reported to be from out-of-state escaped with his life when waves swept him off the Lake Michigan south pier in South Haven on Friday evening.
South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) and South Haven Police Department responded to a report of a person being swept off the pier into the water at 5:40 p.m.
The pier was closed at the time with waves sweeping over it.
A second person with the victim threw him a life ring and pulled him to safety. He was out of the water when authorities arrived. The incident occurred near the lighthouse end of the pier.
The subject was taken to Bronson-South Haven Hospital for treatment of injuries.
Persons who go onto the piers in South Haven when they are closed are subject to a $1,000 fine. The city declared the piers closed earlier in the day because of the high wind and wave conditions.
Through its ongoing beach safety program, the City of South Haven installed year-round life ring stations in 2023. The South Haven Rotary Club supported the program with a $13,500 grant for the installation of the six stations located on the south and north piers. The grant also funded the purchase of three automated external defibrillator AED devices used by beach safety staff.
