Toddler In Critical Condition After High Winds Blow Him Into Lake Michigan

CHICAGO — High winds apparently blew a stroller with a 2-year-old boy inside into Lake Michigan in the Lakeview neighborhood.

The toddler’s grandfather went into the water at Belmont Harbor after the child. The boy was reported in critical condition at Children’s Memorial Hospital. He was unconscious when pulled from the harbor, and reportedly had been underwater for nearly 15 minutes. The grandfather, who appeared to be in his 60s and reportedly spoke very little English, was in fair condition at St. Joseph Hospital, where he was being treated for exposure.
Fire crews got the call at 2:36 p.m. Friday to respond to the 3200 block of North Lake Shore Drive for a report of a person in the water, according to Fire Media Affairs Cmdr. Will Knight.

The grandfather was taking the toddler, who was in a stroller, out for a walk along the lakefront near Belmont Harbor when high winds blew the stroller into the lake, according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford.
The man went into the lake after the toddler, who was wearing a diaper. The baby was probably submerged in the water for at least 15 minutes, Langford said.
Fire Media Asst. Director Eve Rodriguez said the man was pulled out of the water almost immediately, while divers had to go into the water to search for the baby, who was still strapped into the stroller.
The water temperature was 42 degrees, according to Rodriguez, who said the water was 10 to 12 feet deep in that area.