OGDEN DUNES | A Chicago woman and her 6-year-old son were saved from a near drowning Tuesday afternoon in a rip current on Lake Michigan near Ogden Dunes, according to Indiana conservation officers.

The woman and her family, who are renting a house for a week in Ogden Dunes, were at the beach there Tuesday afternoon when the boy, who was wearing a life jacket, began playing in waves about 20 to 30 feet from shore.

Officers said the woman noticed her son being pulled out into the lake and swam out to get him. By the time she got to the boy, officers said, she noticed they were a long distance from shore and were quickly being pulled to the west.

Feeling fatigued, she called out for help.

The boy's father and a family friend swam out to the woman and the boy, struggling to get them back to shore.

Police reported all four were "completely exhausted" by the time they made it to shore.

All four subjects were examined by emergency personnel and the family friend was taken to Porter Hospital complaining of neck pain, police said.

The two men told emergency crews the power of the current and the pounding of the waves "completely wore them out."

"These people were very lucky today," Conservation Officer Matt Shurr said late Tuesday night. "This could have very easily been a catastrophe times four."

"All we can do is warn people to stay out of the water on days when the waves are high and the rip currents grow strong," he said.

Ogden Dunes Police and Fire Departments along with Portage Fire Department assisted in the incident.

The incident follows two recent deaths attributed to swimming in the lake's strong rip currents.

Davante Jackson, 14, of Chicago Heights, disappeared in mid-July and later drown after being carried away in strong rip currents off of Kemil Beach.

Rafael Palomar, 13, of Chicago, also drown after being taken by rip currents off Porter Beach earlier this month.