Dec. 26--University of Illinois landscape architecture student Ji Xu had just gotten off a train at Union Station on Tuesday and was on his way to Midway Airport to travel to Florida for the holidays when he was confronted with an unexpected and scary sight.
About 9:20 a.m., Xu was standing outside the station along the Chicago River checking his cellphone when he and another passer-by at 222 S. Riverside Plaza saw a man climb onto a fence on the Adams Street bridge.
The fence-climber spoke to Xu. "He told me to call police before he jumped," Xu said of the man.
Xu, 22, who was born in China, said he and the other witness ran toward the man but were too late. "We were trying to stop him. We were running and shouting," Xu said.
Xu dialed 911, but gave the phone to the other witness, fearing a language barrier. Authorities quickly arrived.
"I don't think he wanted to die in the early morning of Christmas," Xu said.
Chicago Fire Department diver Douglas Schick was the first to swim out to the man, who'd been in the water for about 10-15 minutes.
"My main concern was keeping visual contact with him in case he ended up submerging," said Schick, a 16-year veteran of the Fire Department.
Schick was wearing a dry suit to keep him warm, scuba fins and a life vest with a harness that connected him to other firefighters on shore.
"He was in the middle of the river. I reached him, and other firefighters pulled us to the shore," Schick said. "First, I grabbed him under his arm just to make sure I had contact and then I did a rescue grab, and the other firefighters pulled us both in."
The water was extremely cold, maybe about 35 degrees, Schick said. "It's definitely not something you want to swim in."
Crews got the man ashore and onto a stretcher, where they began working on him.
About 25 Fire Department personnel had rushed to the scene, including those aboard a helicopter with divers, a squad, an engine and an ambulance, said department spokesman Lt. Quention Curtis, who was on the scene.
"Hypothermia was kicking in. He was soaking wet and the water was pretty cold," Curtis said. "He was shaking and shivering. Our only thought was: 'Let's get him out of the water. It's Christmas.'"
The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in fair-to-serious condition and treated for hypothermia, said another department spokesman, Chief Kevin MacGregor. "He never lost consciousness. We made a very quick and timely response," MacGregor said.
Schick said he was focused on his many years of training. "You sort of go through a process in your mind of what you've trained on in the past," he said.
Realizing that it was Christmas didn't play a part until after the man was safe, Schick said. "It was an additional reason to be happy that it was a successful rescue."
Copyright 2012 - Chicago Tribune
