(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Maria Diaz says recent weeks — following the drowning death of her son, Miguel — have been the most difficult of her life.
"Miguel had a heart of gold, he loved helping people," Diaz recalled Wednesday.
Diaz said her 19-year-old son was a strong swimmer but got caught in the riptides of Lake Michigan on Aug. 22. Miguel Cisneros drowned when he was swimming off Pratt Pier in Rogers Park. No life rings were on site to throw him when he was in distress — something Diaz says contributed to her son’s death death.
"He was on the rowing team at St. Ignatius for four years. You have to take a swim test to be a part of the rowing team. He was very fit, 6-foot-4, he was very athletic, so it doesn't matter how good of a swimmer you are, the lake can be very dangerous,” she said.
Diaz and her family have filed suit against the Chicago Park District, alleging there was a lack of signage and safety devices at Pratt Pier that may have helped save Cisneros.
“I learned later that it was very preventable. Unfortunately, there was nothing witnesses could throw at him,” Diaz said, "even though there were signs saying, 'If people are in distress, throw a life ring or floatation device.' But there was none available anywhere."
Jeffrey Kroll of law firm Kaveny & Kroll said the park district showed a reckless disregard for others.
“This is a wrongful death suit,” he said. “My experience tells me that a lawsuit, many times, is a great vehicle for change, forcing corporations, forcing entities to change the way they do things.”
Kroll says Rogers Park residents for years have advocated for the Chicago Park District to install life rings at the site where Cisneros died. Some of them even took it upon themselves to purchase commercial-grade life rings, only to have the district remove them multiple times, the attorney said.
Swimming is discouraged at the Pratt Pier location.
"I have letters from park district attorneys saying life rings wouldn't help and that it only encourages people to swim where they shouldn’t, but that's like putting fire alarms and saying it's going to encourage you to start fires. It's a cop out,” Kroll said.
The suit alleges, among other claims, that the Chicago Park District was aware of a prior drowning off of Pratt Pier and that district officials previously agreed to install 140 life rings at Chicago beaches and piers.
"All they had to do was provide these life rings that everyone has been asking for for three years,” Kroll said.
The Chicago Park District said last week officials would install life preserver equipment at select waterfront locations, including Pratt Pier, as part of a pilot program.
“Although the life rings will offer an added layer of protection, we urge people to follow the rules that have been in place season after season,” Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Michael Kelly said in a statement.
Kroll and the Diaz family says more needs to be done.
"This isn't just Miguel, it's not just that location,” Diaz said. “It's common sense. People are swimming regardless of signage. Let's make the lakefront safe. It's not costly."
She added: "I feel like I'm carrying on Miguel's legacy. I feel his spirit and he's telling me to do this. At least his death won't be in vain.”
Related
