This month’s drowning of 17-year-old Travonne Shannon at Silver Beach in St. Joseph is prompting another reminder from the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department about the dangers of pier jumping. That’s just what Shannon was doing on June 12 when he went under and did resurface. Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit says police have long advised against jumping off the pier.
“It is not illegal because the pier itself is not part of the county park,” Heit told WSJM. “It’s governed by the Corps of Engineers, and there is no ordinance against it, but from a safety aspect, we urge people not to do it.”
Heit says you never know what kind of current you’ll be dealing with if you jump into the lake from the pier. Also, a sudden cramp can lead to the danger of drowning, and the water is often deeper than the jumper would expect. Heit says the safest course of action is simply not to pier jump.
