Sep 29, 2008 6:44 am US/Central
2 Officers Pull Man From Lake Michigan
Man Was Clinging To Breakwater Near Fullerton Beach
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Two Town Hall District police officers rescued a man who was clinging to a breakwater in Lake Michigan close to Fullerton Avenue Beach early Monday.
At 1:24 a.m. the police Marine Unit was notified of a person in the water off Lake Shore Drive and Fullerton Parkway, according to a Marine Unit officer, who said police "land unit" officers pulled the man out.
There is no beach where the incident took place.
A woman who was walking at 2351 N. Lake Shore Dr., noticed the 54-year-old man in danger, believed she wasn't able to help him and called 911, according to Town Hall District police.
When Town Hall District Patrol Officers Jeremy Lowe and Alejandro Cibrian got there he was "clinging to the iron rungs [of the breakwater wall] on the water level and the waves were going over his head,'' according to police.
The officers, both of whom have less than 5 years on the job, rescued the man and he was transported to Saint Joseph Hospital where he was being treated for exposure to the cold water and scratches to his feet, according to police. His injuries were not life threatening and while hospitalized, the man thanked Cibrian and Lowe for helping him.
Initially, police said the man told them he became fatigued while swimming but later at the hospital, he reportedly indicated that his dying cousin's last wish was to have sand from the bottom of the lake and he was trying to scoop up the sand when the incident occurred. He tried climbing back up but couldn't, police said.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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