A hot summer day on Lake Michigan turned into tragedy when a man drowned as he attempted to save a child Tuesday.
Authorities said Luke Laidley, 43, jumped into the water to help a group of kids tubing along the lake, according to CBS 2.
Witness Amy McCarter said the kids who were tubing flipped, adding one was apparently “having trouble.” The kids had lifejackets on, the outlet reported.
The children were being towed by Laidley’s boat, according to a local ABC affiliate.
Friends managed to pull Laidley out and perform CPR before getting him ashore. Paramedics then received and took him to a hospital, CBS 2 reported.
Laidley subsequently passed away, the outlet reported.
The Winnetka father who died trying to save children while boating near Centennial Park Beach Tuesday was a 9/11 survivor. https://t.co/x0mVveaBrj
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) July 6, 2023
“Oftentimes would-be rescuers also become a drowning victim as well,” Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project Executive Director Dave Benjamin told CBS 2.
Benjamin continued, saying “a knee-jerk reaction to get in the water” can put potential rescuers in a perilous position. (RELATED: New York Firefighter Drowns While Trying To Save Daughter From Rough Currents)
“If the lifeguards are the first responders in the water, if there is a water emergency, you have seconds to minutes for a successful rescue,” Benjamin told the outlet.
Laidley’s family said the husband and father was a 9/11 survivor who “lived to serve for others,” according to ABC 7.