Michael Hilling, 19, of the 14400 block of Summer Meadow G 5 in Rock, Mich., was pronounced dead at 1:36 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

At 12:08 a.m., emergency personnel responded to a call of a person in the water at East Congress Parkway, just east of Buckingham Fountain, said Chief Joe Roccasalva, a Chicago Fire Department Media Affairs spokesman.

Hilling was sitting alongside his girlfriend when her water bottle fell into the lake, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli. Hilling jumped into the water trying to retrieve it but went under water, Mirabelli said.

When personnel arrived, they found a woman, reportedly his girlfriend, standing where the man had fallen in, Roccasalva said. Firefighters pulled the man's body out of the water.

Hilling was in town visiting his girlfriend, a student at Columbia College, officials said.

Debra Hilling, his mother, said Saturday she could not understand what had happened because she and most people close to her son knew that he couldn't swim.

"My whole family was like that, we all have lead feet," she said. "Who would care about a water bottle? ... I'm just like in damn disbelief."

Michael Hilling met his girlfriend in his hometown of Rock, and they began dating after high school graduation. He had moved in with a friend in Perkins, Mich., and was working as a cook at a local tavern, but recently talked about moving to Chicago to enroll at Columbia College with his girlfriend, his mother said.

"I was kind of thinking, I suppose there'll be grandkids here pretty quick," Hilling said.

Debra Hilling said her son had talked about taking classes in computer design, but also had a knack for drawing.

He had two half-brothers on his father's side, and another half-brother from her.

Michael Hilling's Facebook profile lists that he was in a relationship, and that their anniversary was Dec. 31, 2009.

Submitted on 01/01/2011

Submitted by: Tony Benvenuti
Reference: www.chicagobreakingnews.com Jan 1 2011

Copyright © 2011 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Drowning incidents are too common, but I will give this one the nod for the following reasons: a) I went to college in Chicago and the temperature of Lake Michigan this time of year is pretty close to freezing. b) This fellow couldn't swim and knew it. c) it was a water bottle. Three strikes? Methinks so...! Thanks, Tony!

Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I agree wholeheartedly with James. I lived for a few years in central NH and got a white water permit (which required flipping and righting a canoe) in early April. That water was darned cold, and we were warned that hypothermia would set in within a matter of minutes. Why this guy risked his life over a water bottle boggles the mind. If it happened to my girlfriend I'd just go buy her a new one. Thanks, Tony!

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