Man falls through ice in Kenosha County, panics during rescue

KENOSHA COUNTY ⏤ The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department reminds residents that no ice on local waterways is safe to walk on after a Dec. 20 water rescue.

Sheriff’s department deputies responded to a pond east of Hooker Lake in the county around 4:53 p.m. Dec. 20, according to a department release.

There, a resident had reported that a man had fallen through the ice and could not get out of the water.

Upon arriving at the scene near the intersection of 236th Avenue and 80th Place, deputies saw a man thrashing in the water. The 57-year-old Salem Lakes man was about 75 yards from the shore.

The person who reported the emergency told deputies the man had been in the water for about 20 minutes.

First rescue attempt

A deputy borrowed a canoe from a neary residence and made his way out to the man. The deputy even successfully pulled the man into the canoe and was ready to head back to shore.

However, the man’s condition caused him to panic. He thrashed around in the canoe, causing it to capsize. This sent  both the man and the deputy into the water.

Swim to the ice

The deputy swam to a patch of ice near the shore. From there, he coached the man, who was still panicking, to do the same.

The man was able to push himself up on the ice. Soon after, the Salem Lakes Fire Department arrived and finished the rescue.

The deputy sustained no injuries in the rescue. However, he “crawled off the ice, cold, tired and wet,” a release from the sheriff’s department noted.

Emergency personnel transported the man to a local hospital. They expected him to make a full recovery.

“The sheriff’s department and local first responders would like to remind everyone that NONE of the ice in Kenosha County is safe for any outdoor activities,” the department stated in its release.