Driver dies after car goes into Lake Michigan near Navy Pier

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man is dead after being pulled from Lake Michigan after his car went into the water near Navy Pier Friday afternoon.

The Chicago Fire Department responded to the scene around 5:30 p.m., four minutes after receiving the call. Fire officials said four CFD dive teams worked to recover the car and victim, which were located 75 to 80 feet away from the pier.

"Divers were dealing with zero visibility. It was difficult to find the car in the beginning," said Deputy District Chief Ron Dorneker, CFD.

Divers recovered the car's bumper, which had detached from the vehicle, and broke the windows to extricate the driver, officials said.

"They had to break the windows of the car to get into the car to search. They found one victim inside the car," Dorneker said.

Officials said they believe that a post is missing from a chain-link fence along the edge of the water and believe the car pushed it into the water.

Divers with the fire department's Marine Unit pulled the driver from the water and took him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in extremely critical condition, where he later died.

Accidents like this are unusual at this location, officials said.

The car is still submerged and will be recovered by the Chicago Police Department Marine Unit, a CFD representative said.

Officials said they have no further information about what caused the driver to drive into the water. Investigators are reviewing surveillance video and talking to witnesses as they try to piece together the moments before the car went into the water.

"We don't know at this time how the car ended up in the water. We will be looking at some video footage to see what happened," said Dorneker.

Officials have not released any details about the victim's identity.