Angelina Khalimendik, Hinsdale, Illinois mom drowns jumping into Des Plaines River trying to save 7-year-old son after boy suddenly getting caught in current.
A mom makes the ultimate sacrifice… An Illinois mother of three drowned over the weekend after jumping into a river as she desperately sought to save her seven-year-old son’s life during a fishing trip gone wrong.
Angelina Khalimendik, 31, entered the Des Plaines River at Independence Grover Forest Preserve just after 7 p.m. on Sunday after the 7-year-old boy being swept up in the water.
At the time, Khalimendik’s son was playing in the shallow end of the river when a current suddenly swept him away, FOX32 reported citing family members.
Illinois mom of thee makes the ultimate sacrifice
Khalimendik, of Hinsdale, IL, was able to get her son to safety, only to be swept away by the current.
Khalimendik was pulled from the water by a relative and other bystanders before first responders reached the scene, NBC 5 Chicago reported.
Despite CPR being performed, the mom had already taken in too much water and was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center.
Leading up to the tragedy, Khalimendik had taken her three kids, including an 11-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, on a fishing trip while her husband was out of town.
Khalimendik’s death was ‘consistent with drowning,’ NBC 5 reported, citing examination results from the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
Recent torrential rains in the area
The parent’s death followed ‘torrential rains’ in the area in the past week, Lake County Forest Preserves’ Police Chief Ron Davis told CBS Chicago.
‘These bodies of water are flooded with not only extra water, but debris, fallen trees, branches, rocks, other things that are under the surface,’ he said, while offering advice to anyone who may get into difficulty in the water.
‘If you are swept in the water, remain calm. Try to roll over on your back,’ he told ABC 7.
‘Use your arms and your feet as bumpers, pushing away at debris and branches and rocks that may be in your way, and try to get yourself in a position where you look closer to the shoreline, where you’re able to get yourself out or have people help you out safely,’ the official added.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the family is urging parents to be careful when children are playing near the water, saying you never know how quickly conditions can change.
More than 4,500 people drowned each year from 2020 to 2022 in the US, according to a study from the CDC.
Drowning is the number one cause of death for children aged 1-4 in the US, while almost 40 million American adults do not know how to swim and more than half have never taken a swimming lesson, the CDC reported.
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