Hypothermia: You can't maintain your body temperature forever when half of you is encased in sand.It could be the tide, splashing water (since quicksand can occur underwater), heavy rain, or falling over into water. Drowning: This happens when additional water moves in over the quicksand.If the quicksand is near a river or coastal area, you can still drown the old-fashioned way when the tide comes in, but you won't suffocate with a mouthful of sand or mud. Humans and animals typically float in water, so if you are standing upright, the furthest you'll sink in the quicksand is waist-deep. It's true you don't sink in quicksand until you're submerged. Strong forces stiffen quicksand, making it more like a solid than a liquid, so pulling and jerking only make a bad situation worse.Ī quick Google search reveals most writers don't have personal experience with quicksand or consult water rescue experts. The trick to escaping the trap is to move slowly and try to float. You'll only sink halfway, no matter how badly you freak out.ĭisturbing quicksand makes it flow like a liquid, but gravity acts against you. However, the average human has a density of about 1 gram per milliliter, while the average quicksand density is about 2 grams per milliliter. The sand around you also settles into place.Ĭontinued movement (like thrashing around from panic) keeps the mixture more like a liquid, so you sink further. If you stop after the first step, the sand particles beneath you get compressed by your weight. Stepping on it initially lowers the viscosity, so you sink. Undisturbed quicksand appears solid, but it's really a gel. What this means it can change its ability to flow (viscosity) in response to stress. Technically speaking, quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid. If you have to rescue yourself, wriggle your legs to make the quicksand more fluid while trying to sit back into the quicksand to increase your body's surface area. ![]() The best way to prevent a fatality is to keep a charged cell phone with you so you can call for help.Death can come in the form of suffocation, dehydration, hypothermia, predators, crush syndrome, or drowning from a river or incoming tide. Even though you can't sink all the way into quicksand, it's a killer.However, a person or branch can be used to help reduce the victim's weight, making it easier to work free and float. A rescuer can't simply pull a victim out of quicksand.Really, the only way to drown from the quicksand is to fall into it head first or face first. You can only sink into quicksand up to your waist. ![]() It changes its viscosity in response to stress or vibration, allowing you to sink, but making it hard to escape. Quicksand is a non-Newtonian fluid made of sand mixed with water or air.And this time I’d like to say the prayer. “Everyone, we need to thank Heavenly Father for getting us out of that mud. He looked a lot less like a mud monster, and he looked a lot happier too! Dad hugged Karen and said, “Thank you for your prayer.” Then he called to the rest of us. Mom drove the truck right out of the mud too!Īs everyone got ready to go, Dad changed into clean clothes. Mom started the engine and drove the van right out of the mud! Then Dad put the broomstick under the wheel of the truck. He climbed into the truck, grabbed a broomstick, and put it under the wheel of the van. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I felt comforted by Karen’s prayer. “Please bless Daddy to find a way to get us out of this mud. “Heavenly Father, we are stuck,” Karen said. Mom gathered our family together, and we all bowed our heads. “Why don’t we pray and ask Heavenly Father to help us get out of this mud?” Karen said.ĭad still looked grumpy, but he said, “All right, you can say a prayer for us.” “Karen has a good idea,” she told him.ĭad looked frustrated but stood up. Mom led Karen to where Dad was working in the mud. Then she said, “That’s a really good idea.” Karen raised her voice to get Mom’s attention. “Oh, really?” I could tell Mom was only half listening. “I have an idea of how we can get out of the mud,” Karen said. “Daddy’s really busy right now,” Mom said as she shook the blanket to get the mud off of it. “Mom, I have an idea for Daddy,” Karen said. ![]() Mom walked past carrying a muddy blanket. “We’re really stuck, aren’t we?” Karen asked. The wheels spun, showering Dad with more mud. “He’s trying to get us out of the mud,” I said. “Why is Daddy getting dirty?” my little sister Karen asked. My brother and sisters and I stood away from the truck and van. Dad was getting more and more frustrated. Each time they tried to drive, the wheels spun and mud flew everywhere. Dad and Mom were trying to move them, but the mud was deep. Our van and our moving truck were both stuck in the mud on a deserted road.
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