Life rings only at safe-to-swim areas

The Chicago Park District said it plans to put life rings along the Lake Michigan waterfront but only in areas that are considered safe to swim, upsetting the mother of a college student who drowned off a pier.

“I’m infuriated,” said Maria Diaz, whose son, Miguel Cisneros, drowned last month in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

“Don’t they have kids? Aren’t they mothers, fathers?” Diaz said. “How would they feel if (it were) their son?

“Because, believe me, you never think about this until it hits home. And it can happen to anyone.”

Cisneros, 19, drowned Aug. 22, a few weeks before his planned departure for Columbia University in New York. A vigil for him was held Tuesday night.

Rogers Park residents have put life rings on the pier near where Cisneros died but they have been removed by the Park District, the Chicago Tribune reported. Instead, the Park District is discussing ways to restrict access to the piers while installing life rings elsewhere where it’s “safe to swim,” general counsel Timothy King said.

Water safety specialist Gerry Dworkin said the rings can be hard to throw accurately from a beach, though they can be effective if dropped to a struggling swimmer near a pier. At least 78 people have drowned this year in the Great Lakes, including 36 in Lake Michigan, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.

Not all Lake Michigan deaths were in Illinois.

“With drowning, flotation is the key. ... because when you give them something that floats, you are giving them hope of survival,” said Dave Benjamin, the group’s director.

“You are giving them their only chance to live.”