Man Pulled From Chicago River
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man was pulled out of the icy Chicago River and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital on Friday afternoon.
Passersby called 911 at 2:47 p.m. Friday after the man went into the river at Dearborn Street.
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Fire Department Chief of Special Operations Michael Fox said the first firefighters arrived within three minutes, and said that by 3 p.m.,divers had jumped 20 feet from a helicopter into the river to make the rescue.
"The cold doesn't bother the divers. The divers wear enough clothes to keep themselves warm in this water," Fox said. "the only problem we have is trying to move our equipment, move the patient due to the ice on the steps (leading from the River Walk to street level), stuff like that. Other than that, our men are fine doing this kind of work."
The man was pulled out of the water and taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. His was reportedly in extremely critical condition.
Fox said the amount of time a person can survive in 32-degree water varies depending on their age, health and clothing.
Chicago police said it was an apparent suicide attempt.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.
