After getting stuck in quicksand ‘up to his neck’ during a family trip to Crosby beach in Merseyside, UK, a two year old boy, Frank Harvey has been left with injuries.
Embattled Frank Harvey had to be dragged to safety by struggling relatives during the terrifying experience and went into shock after the ordeal with his relatives fearing for his life and saying he has been suffering nightmares since the incident.
His mum Marnie-Rae Harvey, 22, is now speaking out about the ordeal in a bid to alert others about the dangers of quicksand.
According to the mum, she and Frank were joined at the beach by family including her mum, Catherine, dad and sister.
The little boy was holding his grandad’s hand when his foot suddenly sank into the sand and he lost his shoe, grandmum Catherine, 48, told the Liverpool Echo.
‘We ran across to get it and Frank started to go down more, then Marnie tried to drag him but she was going down herself, then I was going down. All four of us were just stuck.’
Catherine said her husband managed to get out but the rest of the family were trapped in the sand.
‘We were on our hands and knees and we were just going down, it was right up to our waist, my face was in it. We thought that was it.
‘It was up to Frank’s shoulders at this point. It was a traumatic experience,’ she added.
All the family’s possessions were swallowed up by the sinking sand and had to scream for help.
Frank had to be rushed to a nearby leisure centre where an ambulance was called.
Marnie-Rae posting the ordeal on Facebook, wrote:
‘Do not recommend taking your kids to Crosby Beach.
‘We took Frank yesterday, one minute we were just walking across the beach.
‘The next we are stuck in the sinking sand up to our shoulders, Frank was covered up to his neck.
‘We were all trying to drag him out.’
The family are also calling for more warning signs on the beach as this is not the first time a family will be experiencing such a similar ordeal.