CHESTERTON, Ind. – A 72-year-old Illinois man who was pulled out of Lake Michigan over the weekend has died.
According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Kirshnaraju Rudraraju of Woodridge, Illinois, succumbed to his injuries Sunday afternoon.
Conservation officers and an off-duty Indianapolis firefighter assisted in the rescue effort at the beach area at Indiana Dunes State Park around 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
A lifeguard had been notified that a man had gone under the water and failed to resurface. Lifeguards searched the area and found Rudraraju about 15 minutes later. He was under approximately seven feet of water and about 100 feet from the shore.
Lifeguards brought him to the surface and started CPR while bringing him to the shore. A conservation officer and an off-duty firefighter from the Indianapolis Fire Department continued performing CPR after he was brought back to land.
First responders from the Porter Fire Department and Porter County EMS took over life-saving efforts. Rudraraju was then taken to Northwest Health Porter Hospital in critical condition.
He later died from his injuries, DNR said. Autopsy and toxicology results are pending. The case remains under investigation.
