A video of a woman being swept away by high waves during a morning walk in Illinois has gone viral on TikTok.
The video, shared by user @zoeeeryder, has garnered more than 190,000 views since it was posted on August 8. According to hashtags shared with the post, the moment was captured at Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, an expressway that runs along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
A caption posted with the video said, “Morning walks like this> #chicago #shesfinedontworry #fyp #lakemichigan #lakeshoredrive #morningroutine #selfcareroutine #northseatiktok.”
The footage shows a woman standing at the edge of a walkway, watching the waves come in. Moments later, a huge wave crashes over her, knocking the woman to the ground. She later emerges from the water and gets back on her feet as the clip ends.
Newsweek has contacted @zoeeeryder for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, which are found around the U.S.-Canada border. The other lakes are Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario. With a combined area of about 94,250 square miles, the Great Lakes form the largest surface of fresh water in the world, spanning an area larger than the United Kingdom.
The Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium has warned: “Dangerous currents and breaking waves are common in the Great Lakes region. Rip currents and other currents found near piers are extremely dangerous for swimmers and can lead to drownings.”
It can be hard to predict when and where most currents will occur. However, structural currents—which are currents found alongside or as a result of structures such as piers and breakwalls—are typically present.
The consortium added: “Structural currents are dangerous on their own, but when paired with others like longshore or rip currents, and when colliding with incoming waves, the combination can create a washing machine effect, moving the swimmer from one dangerous current area to another with no clear path to safety.”
Lakegoers are advised to “steer clear of the pier,” as the currents along it “are often dangerously strong,” the consortium said.
In June, three separate water-related incidents in Lake Michigan left two people dead, while several people had to be pulled out of the lake, CBS News reported.
Lake Michigan, the third largest of the Great Lakes, is the only one that sits entirely within the U.S., with about 12 million people living along its shores, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Chicago is found along Lake Michigan, with a 26-mile-long shoreline. Much of the waterfront is connected by the Lakefront Trail, a scenic 18-mile paved path along the shoreline on the eastern edge of the city, which runs from Ardmore Street on the north side to 71st Street on the south side, according to Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism website.
‘This Is Actually Terrifying’
TikTok users were blown away by the footage in the viral clip, with some expressing concern for the woman’s safety.
“I have never seen it like that in the summer,” one user wrote.
Another added, “D**n never seeing waves downtown like this.”
“OMG this is actually terrifying,” a commenter wrote, while another said, “That is very dangerous.”
“Girl, you’re lucky tbh [to be honest],” another user wrote. One user said, “Wow be careful.”
“This is how people disappear in the lake,” another added. “Be careful.”
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