05/26/2020 CBS 58 Staying Safe on Lake Michigan As Temps Warm With warm weather finally here, many folks may flock to the beach to stay cool over the coming months. When responders arrived, they learned several girls had been pulled out of the water while a 7-year-old boy from Texas and a 33-year-old man from Ohio were still missing. Bystanders and medical personnel tried to resuscitate the girl, but she later died in a Buffalo hospital. Higher water levels, smaller beaches, more people on the beach, its easy to lose track of your children on a crowded beach.
Deaths | Wisconsin Department of Health Services The 17-year-old boy was with friends when he jumped off the north pier at the harbor and was overcome by strong currents Thursday. After a record year for drownings in Lake Michigan in 2020, the number of drownings in the lake and across the Great Lakes waterways are up year over year as of July 4, 2021. However, the colliding vessel was instrumental in saving many of the surviving members from the wrecked Cowle ship. A capsized catamaran-style boat in was spotted in Lake Michigan near East Chicago shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday. 06/07/2018 Western Michigan University WSW: The Rare Lifeguard On A Great Lakes Beach In Michigan Finding statistics on drownings in the Great Lakes is difficult. As part of National Water Safety Month in May, the City of Michigan City and Michigan City Area Schools have collated together in an effort to prevent water emergencies. Beginning May 15, 2017, Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project (GLSRP) will be educating our youth on the necessity of Lakefront Safety. Lake Superior College - Institutional Research Source: Minnesota State Operational Data (30 th day) Updated: 3/2/2023 Upon completion of the conference, attendees will leave with new strategies, insights, and know-how to save lives in their communities andthe best ways to respond in the event ofa tragedy. Heres how to stay safe in Lake Michigan this summer. When I had given up my exhausted struggle to stay at the surface in the pounding waves, I luckily had enough float in my surfing wetsuit to stay at the surface and breathe I could float, breathe, overcome the panic and eventually float back to shore. The city is also looking into a program to provide the police department with a personal watercraft to store at the beach. The project advocates for people to use the Flip, Float and Follow method, which tells the person who is struggling to flip over, float on their back and to not fight against the current. This year is on track to be the worst year on record for the Great Lakes. A total of 96 drownings have been reported on the Great Lakes this year, 33 in Lake Michigan. Being in the water, practicing swimming and floating, helps, but learning the technique could be drilled into students in an auditorium. I am so glad this had a good ending.The citys Fire Department, with the help of donations, raised money to buy the rings, ropes and cabinets; a $13,000 grant from ArcelorMittal to the citys Lakefront Safety Committee allowed them to proceed with the purchase, the News Dispatch reported. Theyre first responders on the beach, Benjamin said.
Geography of Lake Superior - Geography Realm His first novel, The Treasure of Namakagon (2012), features a boy in an 1883 northern . If you go to a beach and you see red flags flying and hundreds of people in the water, what message does that send? Benjamin said. Sadly, most of these drownings happen on our nearby pond, Lake Michigan. 07/16/2019 Toronto Sun 773 drownings in Great Lakes since 2010: Safety group, 07/16/2019 Windsor Star Great Lakes drownings high in number, but often preventable, safety group says, 07/16/2019 Northwest Indiana Times UPDATE: Toddler saved in Lake Michigan by nearby boater after winds carry inflatable, witness says, 07/16/2019 ABC 57 Toddler rescued by bystanders in Michigan City, 07/15/2019 ABC 57 Recent Lake Michigan drownings bring safety into question. Benjamin calls drownings a public health crisis. Sometime before 4p.m. the weather turned, the water became rocky and the kayak began to take on water. The month of May would also be declared as Lake Michigan Safety Awareness Month.. If you find yourself in a panicked drowning situation, flip yourself on to your back, float to get yourself and your breathing under control, and then follow a safe path out of the water. Im overwhelmed with pride in everyone coming together. Search Minnesota Obituaries. Share: In light of civil litigation from the 2020 Kenosha protests, we learn more about wrongful death lawsuits. [NOTE: 2018 stats are currently under review for final confirmation], 740 Great Lakes Drownings since 2010 (+/-). 07/13/2022 SOUTH HAVEN, MI NORTH BEACH PARK WAVES & DANGEROUS CURRENTS 7:30 p.m. John Doe, M-7 The South Haven Area Emergency Services was called to North Beach. Since drownings happen within minutes, calling 911 to summon help often means first responders end up recovering bodies rather than saving lives. I think council through its vested power in my office should be able to close the beach Monday morning, Friday afternoon, Sunday, it doesnt matter.. 09/29/2020 Huron Daily Tribune Lake Michigan drownings surge to new high in 2020, 09/29/2020 Click on Detroit Lake Michigan drownings surge to new high in 2020 At least 53 people died so far this year, 09/23/2020 MLIVE Lake Michigan Documentary The Deadliest Great Lake. But when you add in wind, waves, dangerous currents and cold water temperatures, that percentage would likely be higher. Leaders are trying to teach people water safety. 07/09/2020 The Sault News Group says Great Lakes drowning cases spiked over holiday weekend, 07/09/2020 Northwest Indiana Times UPDATE: Coroner identifies 12-year-old drowning victim. There have been 892 drownings in the Great Lakes since 2010, with the majority occurring in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. The diver was with a commercial dive group on the boat the Aquatica, operated by Windy City Diving, according to the Coast Guard. Here the wave is breaking every moment so it will suck you right out and down faster than you can expect. The warnings come after three boys died this weekend after they were pulled from Lake Michigan in separate incidents. 08/01/2019 WWMT Lake Michigan drownings up 80% over last year, 08/01/2019 NBC 25 News Ascension Genesys Health Club explains rip current danger. Officials identified the man pulled from Montrose Harbor as Francisco Gonzalez, and said he is not the same person who went missing in the Playpen Wednesday night. The Coast Guard says an experienced diver, 45-year-old male, was coming out of the water on a ladder and was having a tough time and then dropped back into the lake. Kyra swam towards Michigan Island, as her father and mother tried to flip the kayak, but it was too heavy. In fact, Bob believes the stand up paddle industry has a golden opportunity to introduce life preserver and leash safety early on in this exploding sport. Is Lake Michigan the deadliest Great Lake or just the most frequented? How can you tell if there are dangerous rip currents and what should we do if we are ever caught in one?07/08/2018 WLNS A look at safety on the water, following 4 drownings in Mid-Michigan this week. Pratt said nearly half of all drowning deaths take place on Lake Michigan, a powerful body of water thats often underestimated. 07/31/2017 The Journal Times Drowned teens life goal was to help people Water Safety Tips: Only one third of drownings that occur are due to dangerous currents, according to Dave Benjamin Executive Director of Public Relations for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a non-profit based in Illinois that educates school children about the dangers of water. A water safety video created by Cochran was also shown at all district middle and high schools. Also factor in that some budget-restricted municipalities, such as Michigan City, are not hiring lifeguards this year. 07/19/2017 South Bend Tribune Paddle in awe of Great Lakes in Michiana and up north The nonprofit Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project reports 45 drownings in the Great Lakes so far this year. Yet despite of an average of 33 drownings per year, very few Lake Michigan beaches have lifeguards watching the waves. 07/10/2020 Record Eagle Editorial: Enjoy beaches and lakes with care Take a few moments this week, next week or whenever you next arrive at a beach or boat launch to redouble your water safety efforts. Indiana Dunes State Park, which has a large swath of beach in front of the pavilion, expanded its lifeguard corps last year to cover more territory, said property manager Brandt Baughman. The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project http://www.glsrp.org/ is another resource for water safety. Benjamin said lifeguards stationed at the beach would be able to respond more quickly to a drowning or a missing child situation than emergency services. Hence, more drownings. But White wants to be able to close it at any time. He was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, police said. When youre floating and in control of your natural urge to panic, you can then wave your arm or shout for help, Benjamin said. After about 15 minutes of searching, the drone located the 5-year-old about 50 feet from shore. When you are on your back try to cough to get the water out and calm yourself down. Benjamin said flotation is the key only five out of 589 reported Great Lakes drowning victims wore life jackets. Don Olson from the DNR said that the most visited parks are along Lake Michigan, and that state parks surrounding other Great Lakes have less visitors. Eric Przykuta, a 43-year-old seventh-grade science teacher at Lancaster Middle School, died in an evening accident when the fishing boat he was riding in with two other men struck the breakwall near the Small Boat Harbor. Police are asking anyone with information about the investigation to come forward. And even with that vigilance, tragedy struck twice this summer off of Hamburgs shore. Oct 13, 2020 Konnie LeMay The Lake. The updated stats are 612 Great Lakes Drownings since 2010.]. In addition, the CDC states, for every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. The lifeguards at the state park are trained to watch for rip currents and shut down swimming if they spot them, she added. Our beaches get structural currents around jetties and piers, and when youre close to those structures you can get caught in a current, which can carry you out to deeper water, Bueling said. Although the council voted to keep the lifeguards this summer, it will revisit the discussion in the fall to determine if the program will continue in the future. She projected the citys cash balance at the end of the year will be just over $6 million; and for a point of reference, noted it was just over $12 million on Jan. 1. Through the efforts of the city and ArcelorMittal, two girls were rescued in rough waters on Tuesday, the mayor said in late July. In 2016, 98 people drowned in the Great Lakes ranging in age from about 9 to 75, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit that tracks incidents and spreads awareness. Great Lakes drownings are just the tip of the iceberg of the nationwide drowning crisis., 09/10/2018 WTMJ Non-profit hopes to teach Flip, Float & Follow water safety, 09/10/2018 FB Promo Todays TMJ4 LAKE MICHIGAN DROWNINGS: 33 people who have drowned in Lake Michigan this year. Just keep your head above water and keep your chest at the water level. 05/14/2017 PR Michigan City Students Heading to the Beach this week for Lake Michigan Water Safety Presentations The GLSRP is partnering with the City of Michigan City, the Michigan City Fire Department, and Michigan City Parks and Recreation Department lifeguards to perform Lake Michigan water safety presentations for Barker Middle School students. If we can just control that panic and get people to calm down, theyre half way to being saved., 05/22/2020 News Dispatch Water safety activist says not having lifeguards will cost lives MICHIGAN CITY A decision to terminate the lifeguard program at Washington Park beach will cost lives, according to a man who tracks drownings on the Great Lakes. A life ring is one of the easiest ways to save a drowning victim, especially off a pier.
Do Bodies Float in Lake Superior? - Truth or Fiction? Officials said 16 people drowned in Lake Michigan in 2021 and six people drowned in each of Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. According to the GLSRP, on Sunday, July 14, 2019 a 33-year-old mother drowned in Lake Ontario trying to rescue her six-year-old son who got carried away from shore while floating on an inflatable unicorn. Half of those were in Lake Michigan, and half of those happened in the south end of the lake, here in Chicago, and in Milwaukee and Northwest Indiana. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 117 drownings occurred on the Great Lakes in 2018. According to Cook County Medical Examiners office, the diver, David OShaughnessy, died of asphyxia. Search Wisconsin Obituaries. Beaches There have been 27 drownings in Lake Michigan in 2019. Shortly after 6:45 p.m., emergency crews found the body of the missing person in the water close to the marina. Good swimmers drown, Benjamin said. Facing shore, mouth at water level, head titled back, their body is vertical, less than one minute until submersion, said Benjamin. The expo event was inspired by, Tyler Spink. 8. So far in 2020, at least 17 other people have drowned in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lake Surf Project, which tracks drownings. The surviving crew members were rescued by SS Scott, which resulted in fewer deaths than estimated. Hollinside and Cornelio both drowned Tuesday in separate swimming accidents on Chicagos north lakefront, lured to their deaths by balmy 80-degree-plus air temperatures that belied a fatally frigid Lake Michigan. In a moment that will not ever be forgotten or dismissed, Bokun began reflecting on what just happened to him. Dave Benjamin is executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Why is there not water safety curriculum?, With these presentations, as well as additional outreach, training, public awareness and preparedness efforts, GLSRP hopes to reduce the number of Great Lakes drownings. 08/20/2018 WWMT Officials warn public of dangerous water, swimming conditions, 08/20/2018 Chicago Tribune Number of kids drowning in Lake Michigan increases; dangerous conditions continue Tuesday, 08/20/2018 NWI Times Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project: 22 people have drowned in Lake Michigan this year as NWS forecasts life-threatening swim conditions. A person will become unconscious and their heart will stop. Donovan Andersons body was recovered from Lake Michigan near Carthage College on Sept. 12, 2018. There are roughly 1,050 lifeguards employed by the Park District, which includes 500 spread across the lakefront and 550 at pools throughout the city, a spokeswoman said. If there is a light offshore wind, it could blow the inflatable object into deeper water where the child or parent could go after it. And when they go after it, he says, swimmers can end up in currents or winds that make it impossible to return. In 2015, Dave Benjamin, a spokesman for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, an organization that seeks to prevent drownings in the Great Lakes, said Michigan enacted legislation that shields municipalities from lawsuits related to safety equipment near the water. While the water provides plenty of great opportunities for fun, it is important to take precautions and be safe because summer fun can turn to tragedy quickly.