By Marissa Sulek
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — First responders across Chicago and the suburbs were put to the test on Saturday, responding to at least a dozen water rescues and possible drownings along the lakefront, including responses at Navy Pier, 63rd Street Beach, and The Playpen.
Amid the extreme heat this weekend, people flocked to the lakefront on Saturday, but safety advocates said the main problem behind most of the incidents on the lake was strong winds.
At least three people were sent to hospitals after being pulled out of Lake Michigan, and another was missing late Saturday night.
At 63rd Street Beach, rescue crews urgently searched high and below the surface for a man the Chicago Fire Department said fell off a boat and is still missing. One other person who went into the water was rescued, but their condition was not immediately available.
At The Playpen, just north of Ohio Street Beach, sources said a man was sent to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition after he hurt his foot in the water.
And at Navy Pier, police said a 27-year-old woman was pulled from the water around 5:30 p.m., and taken to Northwestern, where she died.
“We want people to understand that winds are dangerous currents on the Great Lakes,” said Dave Benjamin, co-founder of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
Benjamin said the wind was a major factor this weekend. Depending where people go, he said how the wind is blowing impacts currents.
“These are going to be very strong offshore winds, so anything that floats can go far and fast offshore with people on these objects as well,” he said.
In the northern suburbs, fire departments like Winthrop Harbor and Zion also responded to water rescues, but don’t have the resources.
“We don’t have a boat that’s operable in any type of wave action,” said Winthrop Harbor Fire Chief Rocco Campanella.
Officials said large rocks were put in the lake by the state to break waves and help with erosion in 2023. The mounds attract swimmers, but are extremely hazardous. On Tuesday, a 20-year-old man drowned at Illinois Beach State Park.
“The breakwalls, we think, are creating a rip current effect out there for people,” Campanella said.
Benjamin said a drowning person can submerge in the lake in less than a minute. He said, if families and groups are going to beaches this weekend, they should keep an eye out for each other when they go in the water.
He said, if a person drowns, they won’t yell and wave; it’s quiet and quick, and leads to unfortunate outcomes.
Safety advocates said if kids have a life jacket on, you should still keep an eye on them with wind speeds on the lake. They can still blow away if they are not fitted properly.
The Chicago Park District said the city’s beaches and pools both are they are fully staffed with lifeguards this summer.
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