Rescuers pulled a 10-year-old girl out of the mud at Dugualla State Park Sunday afternoon.
The girl and her family were exploring the area, North Whidbey Fire Chief John Clark said, when the girl and her mother went further out into the mudflats.
They were about 30 feet from shore when the girl sank into waist-deep mud. The girl’s mother called 911 just after 12:40 p.m.
“It can be a little embarrassing getting stuck in the mud, and you have to call for help,” Clark said. “But mom realized they were in a potentially dangerous situation.”
The tide was coming in. Low tide was 3.9 feet at 12:17 p.m. in the area, according to estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
Rescuers had to hike in from the end of Sleeper Road for about a mile to get to the beach, and then crawl and slide over the mudflats to get to the girl.