Off-duty firefighter Steve O’Malley was spending his Saturday afternoon sprucing up his boat when he heard the terrified screams of a young mother after a gust of wind blew her stroller-bound toddler face-down into the waters of Lake Michigan at a South Side harbor.
The 33-year veteran Chicago firefighter said the timing was perfect and he was able to help save the life of a child.
O’Malley said he had been behind the couple and their boy in the stroller and had held a door open for them before they all began walking onto the pier at the 31st Street Harbor.
As he was fixing up his boat for his wife’s upcoming birthday celebration, he noticed the wind picked up big-time about 2 p.m.
“I was talking on my phone and I’d stopped to tie my shoes, and then all of a sudden I heard: 'Oh my God, my baby, my baby,’ ’’ O’Malley said. “I looked and the stroller was upside down in the water.’’
The child’s father jumped in the water and O’Malley followed – almost without thinking.
O’Malley, 52 and of the Southwest Side, said it was ironic because he remembers seeing another story recently about a stroller which had gotten blown into the water on a windy day.
“I saw the stroller was sideways in the water and I didn’t see the baby. I thought oh no … you’re not going down -- not on my watch,’’ said O’Malley.
The boy, about 18 months old, was still strapped in the stroller, wearing a yellow T-shirt.
He saw him lying sideways, face-down in the stroller with his bottles, clothes and toys floating next to him.
With one hand holding the stroller-bound toddler above the surface, he used the other to swim and do what his years on the force had trained him to.
“My strength just kicked in,’’ O’Malley said. “I grabbed the T-shirt and held the baby and the stroller above the water and I started swimming to the pier."
The child’s father helped maneuver the two to the pier, and with the help of several bystanders who were watching the harrowing scene unfold, they were pulled up to shore safely.
“We just grabbed him,’’ O’Malley said. “Luckily, the ladder on the pier wasn’t that far away.’’
The 33-year veteran Chicago firefighter said the timing was perfect and he was able to help save the life of a child.
O’Malley said he had been behind the couple and their boy in the stroller and had held a door open for them before they all began walking onto the pier at the 31st Street Harbor.
As he was fixing up his boat for his wife’s upcoming birthday celebration, he noticed the wind picked up big-time about 2 p.m.
“I was talking on my phone and I’d stopped to tie my shoes, and then all of a sudden I heard: 'Oh my God, my baby, my baby,’ ’’ O’Malley said. “I looked and the stroller was upside down in the water.’’
The child’s father jumped in the water and O’Malley followed – almost without thinking.
O’Malley, 52 and of the Southwest Side, said it was ironic because he remembers seeing another story recently about a stroller which had gotten blown into the water on a windy day.
“I saw the stroller was sideways in the water and I didn’t see the baby. I thought oh no … you’re not going down -- not on my watch,’’ said O’Malley.
The boy, about 18 months old, was still strapped in the stroller, wearing a yellow T-shirt.
He saw him lying sideways, face-down in the stroller with his bottles, clothes and toys floating next to him.
With one hand holding the stroller-bound toddler above the surface, he used the other to swim and do what his years on the force had trained him to.
“My strength just kicked in,’’ O’Malley said. “I grabbed the T-shirt and held the baby and the stroller above the water and I started swimming to the pier."
The child’s father helped maneuver the two to the pier, and with the help of several bystanders who were watching the harrowing scene unfold, they were pulled up to shore safely.
“We just grabbed him,’’ O’Malley said. “Luckily, the ladder on the pier wasn’t that far away.’’
nice job,any city worker with less then 10yrs ur gonna be put into a 401k.tick tock tick tock.....
ReplyDeleteWell done!!
ReplyDeleteAnd why is rahm Emanuel cutting firefighter jobs?
ReplyDelete