Second girl dies in drowning tragedy
A 13-year-old girl gave her life Friday after a futile effort to save her younger cousin from drowning the day before in Lake Michigan, authorities said.
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran said Cathy Rangel of Waukegan died Friday at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin near Milwaukee.
Rangel and her 7-year-old cousin, Juliss Salome-Cruz, of Waukegan, were swimming in Lake Michigan near North Chicago Thursday with several other children, in an area known for a strong undertow.
Salome-Cruz drowned, while Rangel was pulled unconscious from the water. A third child, an 8-year-old boy, survived by clinging to a pylon.
Curran said Friday he was impressed that someone as young as Cathy Rangel was willing to risk her life in a rescue attempt.
"It's sad when you see all that potential for life get snuffed out so quickly," he said.
North Chicago police and firefighters were summoned at 3:51 p.m. Thursday to the rocky shoreline, just north of Foss Park and an FBI firing range near Abbott Laboratories.
Officials said the area isn't meant for swimming. The children were in the warm, churning water that's discharged from Abbott's facility into Lake Michigan, Curran said. There were two adults with the children.
After the strong current began pushing Juliss from shore, Curran said, Rangel went to save her. Rangel struggled and went under, and her stepfather went into the water and was able to bring her to shore.
She was unconscious when rescue workers arrived and took her to Vista East. She was later transferred to the Milwaukee-area hospital.
Juliss was pulled underwater and was later found by divers, authorities said.
An 8-year-old boy holding a pylon in the lake was rescued unharmed, officials said. He was taken to Vista East for observation.
Lake County Coroner Richard Keller said autopsy results from Friday confirm that Juliss drowned.
Juliss and Rangel were cousins who lived together in the 500 block of Oak Street, Curran said.
North Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Dell Urban said it took longer than expected to reach the children at the lake because of where they went swimming.
"Very difficult to access," Urban said. "The only access road, which we found out later, was at the FBI range."
Curran said while there are no signs prohibiting swimming, the area north of Foss Park's beach is rocky and clearly not meant for visitors. He said it was difficult for sheriff's marine unit to maneuver close to the area.
Keller said he plans to discuss installing "No Swimming" signs with North Chicago authorities and Abbott representatives.
Abbott spokeswoman Ann Fahey-Widman said the company is open to it.
She said Abbott's property, where the water flows into the lake, is about a quarter-mile north from the public Foss Park, and that the FBI firing range and two other parcels separate Abbott from the park.