Could an earthquake on flat land still kill someone without any buildings/boulders or such near by?

Suppose you were sitting near the epicenter of an earthquake, sitting down on flat land without much else near by, maybe some grass. Is it still possible that say, a magnitude 8 or 9 earthquake would be lethal, assuming you can spread out enough to avoid tipping over and hitting your head?

It seems like the biggest damage in earthquakes comes from buildings, not the ground splitting apart, but it is also possible the terrain itself could warp like an ocean wave several meters I guess. And if a fissure was opening up near someone from the quake's epicenter, would they have time to react and avoid being dropped into it?

The biggest danger in this situation will be a result of rapid acceleration, referred to as Peak Ground Acceleration. In recent years the highest recorded ground acceleration during an earthquake was recorded during 2016 event on the South Island of New Zealand with peak values of 3g (30 $$\small\mathsf{m/s^2}$$).