Drownings in Lake Michigan up 80% over last year: report
CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Drownings in Lake Michigan are 80% higher so far in 2019 than this date last year.
Twenty-seven people have drowned in Lake Michigan so far in 2019, compared to 15 deaths by this time in 2018, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
Drownings in Lake Michigan account for over half of the total drownings in all five great lakes this year, according to the Rescue Project. Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario have a combined total of 24 drownings so far in 2019.
In 2018, drownings in all five Great Lakes reached 117, according to the Rescue Project. There have been 51 drownings in the Great Lakes so far this year.
Recently in Lake Michigan, a 26-year-old swimmer drowned on July 24 at Rainbow Beach on the South Side. Dante Tripp was pulled to the shore by divers and pronounced dead.
Earlier in the year, a 25-year-old man missing since January was pulled from the water near Grant Park.
The Rescue Project bases its numbers on confirmed drownings from reports from the Coast Guard, first responders and news outlets.