2 pulled from rip current in Lake Michigan

July 28, 2008 8:32 AM

HOLLAND, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Coast Guard crews pulled two people from a dangerous rip current in Lake Michigan over the weekend.

They made the rescue Saturday evening near the North Pier at Holland State Park. Investigators say a teenage girl went out for a swim and was swept under by the current.

Her brother and a friend went out in a raft to try and save her, but they also got caught in the current.

The girl managed to swim to safety and call for help.

None of them suffered any major injuries.

Some new technology could help protect swimmers in Lake Michigan from similar situations. Government researchers installed a sensor near the South Pier at Grand Haven State Park that will measure currents along the beach and pier.

The Doppler device can predict when currents will be strongest.

Grand Haven is the first spot on the Great Lakes for this kind of current sensor.