The brother of a 20-year-old woman who drowned in Lake Michigan is remembering her as a “loving and giving spirit” while urging people to practice water safety, NBC Chicago’s Vi Nguyen reports.
The brother of a 20-year-old woman who drowned in Lake Michigan is remembering her as a "loving and giving spirit" while urging people to practice water safety.
En Sukkert's younger sister, Amy Kelts of Warrenville, drowned in Lake Michigan Wednesday night during a visit to Foster Avenue Beach with her friend.
The two were in the water when the visit took a tragic turn as waves picked up.
"They were swimming towards the wave breaker for a couple hours and all of a sudden, the wind speed picks up, the tide starts increasing and they started getting pulled in," Sukkert told NBC Chicago.
Witnesses said Kelts was struggling to swim back to shore, with her friend Katie barely escaping the treacherous waters.
"Two off-duty life guards were able to jump in right away and they grabbed Katie," Sukkert said. "Amy was fighting, she was really fighting."
Kelts' body was recovered from Lake Michigan Thursday morning, echoing a similar tragedy at Porter Beach in Northwest Indiana where an 18-year-old man died in a drowning.
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So far in 2023, six people have drowned in Lake Michigan, more than any other Great Lake, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, a nonprofit group dedicated to drowning prevention. Two of those six people drowned near Chicago and another drowned in suburban Waukegan.
"We need to understand that drowning is a public health issue and it continues to be a neglected public health issue," Dave Benjamin of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project said.
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A list of water safety tips and resources from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found here.
As for Sukkert, he's encouraging all who head to the beaches in Chicago to practice water safety.
"I would definitely say, keep your friends and family close and keep a close, watchful eye. Lake Michigan is terrifying," Sukkert said.
