LUDINGTON — An 18-year-old woman is in critical but stable condition after being pulled from Lake Michigan during a reported drowning incident late Monday morning at Stearns Beach.
Emergency crews from the Ludington Police Department, Ludington Fire Department, and Life EMS were dispatched around 11:55 a.m. on July 14 after a caller reported a teenage female being rescued from the water by friends.
A Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer, who was nearby at the time, was the first to arrive. Officers from the Ludington Police Department and a Michigan State Police trooper arrived shortly afterward.
Upon arrival, responders found the young woman, from Ada, Michigan, breathing and with a pulse. First responders placed her in the recovery position and administered aid until EMS crews took over. She was taken to Corewell Health Ludington Hospital, stabilized, and then airlifted by AeroMed to Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.
As of Monday afternoon, the woman remained in critical but stable condition.
The Ludington Police Department credited bystanders for their quick actions in removing the teen from the water. Officials also thanked Village of Paw Paw Police Chief Eric Rottman and a family member, who immediately began CPR efforts believed to have been lifesaving.
Authorities expressed gratitude to all agencies that assisted, including the Michigan DNR, Michigan State Police, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Ludington Fire Department, and Life EMS.