Lio Cundiff said he had one thought as he floated in Lake Michigan at Belmont Harbor, balancing a stroller with an 8-month-old girl inside: “I guess if this baby’s going down, then I’m going down with her.”
But his and another Good Samaritan’s quick thinking saved the baby’s life.
Cundiff, 30, was wishing his aunt a happy belated birthday when he heard a woman screaming. A gust of wind had just knocked the baby’s stroller into the lake around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, in the 3200 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
“I just realized that the lady wasn’t able to help because she was in too much panic, which is understandable. So I’m like ‘I guess I’m going in,’ and I just jumped,” Cundiff said. “I had no idea what the plan was.”
“There were a few times where I didn’t know if I was gonna stay up long enough,” he added.
Luis Kapost, who lives near the harbor, also jumped into action after seeing what happened. As Cundiff treaded water, Kapost tossed one end of his Chicago Cubs jacket over to him, buying them both time to figure out what to do next.
“I’m holding one sleeve, he’s holding the other and at least they’re not floating away,” Kapost, 43, said.
“Him throwing that jacket down helped me so much,” Cundiff said. “I did not know how long I was gonna be able to keep either of us afloat.”
Other passersby who saw the situation called 911 and found a life ring to toss to Cundiff. Kapost and the baby girl’s mother helped pull him and the child to safety.
“It took forever,” Kapost said. “It probably happened in the span of five minutes.”
Cundiff, the mother and the child were all hospitalized afterwards, officials said. The baby was in good condition, according to Chicago police.
The mother of the child could not be reached directly for comment.
Cundiff was still at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for testing Thursday afternoon. He says doctors were “worried about his elevated heart enzymes” and kept him overnight for testing.
“If all the results turn out okay and they’re not seeing anything, I should be able to leave today,” Cundiff said.
Both Kapost and Cundiff called what happened a “freak accident” and said the mother of the child is not at fault.
“I hope the mom has grace with herself and doesn’t beat herself up too much about it,” Cundiff said. “It’s not like she wasn’t with the baby. … It’s not her fault and I really hope she knows that.”
Kapost said a blend of his ability to “slow down and think everything through” and Cundiff’s impulsively heroic actions made it possible to pull the child out of the water.
Kapost — who is a pilot for American Airlines — noted his training prepared him for a situation like this.
“In my line of work, we’re taught when you rush, that’s when you tend to make mistakes that can eventually lead to disaster,” Kapost said. “So that was kind of my focus. Be methodical, take your time, think everything through.”
“If it comes to it we’ll get more people,” he added. “It’s a small baby. I think everyone in the city would’ve jumped into the lake if it took us all jumping in there to get her out.”
Kapost applauded Cundiff’s actions and hoped he’d get recognized for his efforts.
“That’s the epitome of a hero, someone who’s going to act, to help somebody else they don’t know even though they’re placing their own life in danger,” Kapost said. “He’s an absolute rockstar.”
Cundiff felt “weird” about being labeled a hero and said he was “just a server and stand up comedian in the right place at the right time.”
“Turns out if I have to choose fight or flight, I guess I’m a fighter,” Cundiff said.