Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Float or Sink

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The next time you’re running along the lake this winter you might want to think about treading a little more carefully over the slippery spots – not just to save yourself from a slip and a sore butt, but possibly to save yourself from (dum dum dum!) death. “People really aren’t aware that it’s a possibility to slip and fall into Lake Michigan, get trapped under the ice, and freeze in a matter of minutes,” I was told by a fire chief I’ll simply call Benny (what’s a little anonymity between drinking buddies?). “It’s not like it’s a common thing, but it happens.” Benny went on to tell me how once you’re in the water, you’re pretty much a goner, thanks to the one-two punch of the temperature and the ice keeping you from surfacing. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression,” Benny told me, “it’s not like come springtime Belmont harbor is filled with bodies. But it definitely happens.” When my morbid curiosity got the better of me and I asked to hear some ugly stories, Benny was reticent. Finally he caved and told me, “One really bad case we saw was this Chicago woman’s body that must have fallen in during the winter, and come spring it was found all the way over in Indiana. The only way they even knew who she was was because of her dental records.” A shiver went up my spine. Falling into Lake Michigan and becoming a popsicle was mildly frightening, but ending up in Indiana? That thought was definitely going to give me nightmares. -Joshua Eisenberg

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