What happened to Luke Laidley? Incident explored as Winnetka man drowns in Lake Michigan

On Tuesday, July 4, Winnetka man Luke Laidley reportedly drowned in Lake Michigan while trying to help a group of children in danger while tubing. According to NBC Chicago, the incident occurred after a child fell off a tubing raft that was being pulled by a boat. In response, 43-year-old Laidley plunged into the water but ended up being carried away by the strong currents.

Trigger warning: This article concerns a drowning accident, the reader's discretion is advised

Laidley worke din finance at the time of his death (image via LinkedIn)

After dragging Luke Laidley out of the water, firefighters and paramedics transported him to a local hospital. Officials attempted to treat the victim, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. No foul play is suspected in the incident.

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Luke Laidley used to work as Director of Institutional Sales

According to Winnetka Police Chief Brian O'Connell, authorities received reports of the accident at approximately 1:23 pm. The beach, located at 239 Sheridan Road, was frequently used for water sports. CBS reported that Laidley was boating near the shore when he saw multiple children tubing. At least one child was at risk after falling off the boat. As a result, Luke Laidley jumped into the water to save them. While the child was unharmed, Laidley did not resurface.

Laidley was on a boating trip at the time of his death (images via Luke Laidley/Twitter/Pure Michigan)

Witnesses at the scene said that Luke Laidley quickly went underwater. He was pulled back onto the boat by his friends, who attempted to perform CPR on him while the vehicle was driven back to shore. Medical officials quickly took over the scene and transported Laidley to Northshore Evanston Hospital. They reported that he arrived at the hospital in serious condition. Within hours, officials declared that he had passed.

In an official statement, the Great Lakes Surf Project said that the drowning incident is unfortunately nothing unusual in Lake Michigan.

Dave Benjamin, the co-founder and executive director of the GLSP, made a statement acknowledging the death of Luke Laidley. Benjamin explained that even among confident swimmers, many are accustomed to controlled bodies of water such as swimming pools. As a result, they are surprised by the extreme conditions of oceans and lakes.

Benjamin said:

"In a pool, you have consistent warm water temperature no unexpected drop offs, 100% visibility wearing googles. But in the open water, you have wind and waves and dangerous currents."

Jon Kerr, a freelance reporter who worked with Laidley, described him as a sports enthusiast who used to volunteer as a coach at Carmel High School in Mundelein, Illinois.

Another former coach at the school, Andy Bitto, spoke about the victim. He said he used to regularly meet Luke Laidley, even after they both stopped coaching high school football. Bitto added that the last time he saw the drowning victim was in September 2022, when Bitto was inducted into the Carmel Hall of Fame. He described Laidley as a dedicated coach.

Bitto said:

"I think he still did finance stuff but he wanted to give back to his community. He came to me and asked me if he could coach.”

According to his LinkedIn page, at the time of his death, Laidley was a Director of Institutional Sales at the Backstop Solutions Group.