Worries mount about water safety as lifeguards go off duty for season
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A teenage boy died Monday night after rescuers pulled him from Lake Michigan in East Chicago, Indiana.
As CBS 2's Marybel González reported, there is a growing safety concern – because beaches will no longer have lifeguards on duty as the summer season officially ends.
The main concern is safety. Once the lifeguards hang up their rescue buoys for the season, we know that drownings tend to occur when no one is keeping a watchful eye.
There was a desperate attempt on Monday afternoon in East Chicago to save a 14-year-old boy who was pulled from the water. The East Chicago Fire Department told us the teen was out swimming with friends.
The incident happened when lifeguards were still on duty. But they are done for the season after the Labor Day holiday weekend.
"I think a lot of people are going to get hurt without the lifeguards," said beachgoer Marquis Evans.
Some say they will continue jumping into the water – even though beaches will be officially closed, and swimming is not permitted until May of next year when they reopen.
"I'm going to be here next week, and next week," one man said, "and then until I turn into an ice cube, I won't be here."
Dave Benjamin is executive director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
"A person is more likely to drown at a beach that does not have lifeguards," he warned.
So far this year, the organization has tracked 32 drownings along Lake Michigan – down from 39 reported during the same period last year.
"We had water temperatures that were in the mid-40s to low 50s, you know, through June," Benjamin said, "so that's kind of like a natural deterrent to keep people out of the water."
The Canadian wildfires also kept more people indoors this year.
But even though drowning incidents have gone down, Benjamin said safety and awareness should not.
"What we just want people to understand is that knowing how to swim is not water safety," Benjamin said. "Water safety is understanding that there could be winds - which can create waves, as well as dangerous currents."
Last year, the city installed 115 life rings along the lakefront. Benjamin recommends always being aware of where the life rings are in case of an emergency.
