After a man fell through the ice on Lake Chemung, rescue workers pulled him back to safety, but he later passed away. First responders acted quickly after hearing about a senior in Howell, Michigan, who fell into freezing waters around 2:30 PM on Wednesday.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Man Dies After Rescue From Falling In Frozen Lake
FOX 2 Detroit shared footage of the rescue team rushing to this lake in Livingston County to save the victim. The senior had fallen into the lake without a lifejacket after his ice sailboat crashed. Video footage from the outlet showed first responders in bright yellow suits crawling across the frigid ice.
The length they had to crawl was the equivalent of three football fields. Not only that, but the conditions were getting worse by the minute. "Every time we tried to go on the ice, we continued to fall through," said Brighton Fire Chief Brian Siriani.
Around 3:40, the US Coast Guard arrived to assist the rescue operation. The rescue worker in bright orange lowered themself from a helicopter to help pull the victim out of the water. Although they managed to bring the man to a hospital with critical injuries, the first responders were now stuck on the ice.
Fortunately, the helicopter returned to help lift and rescue the first responders. This heroic but dangerous rescue mission left eight firefighters suffering from cold exposure and one from hypothermia. Luckily, they're all being treated, but the victim of the rescue tragically didn't pull through.
"I feel for the victim's family and the rescuers," said the fire chief. "But this is all preventable. So we probably shouldn't be out on the ice in conditions like this."
When the rescue workers managed to get to the victim, they kept him afloat for 90 minutes. Unfortunately, as time went on, his condition worsened. You could tell how defeated the fire chief looked when he spoke to FOX 2. "We were able to make a difference for a little bit, but in the end it was not a good outcome for us."
This story should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about boating on dangerously icy waters. Most importantly, always wear your life jacket, even if you think you don't need it. You never know what may happen, and it could've saved this man's life.
