A 36-year-old man from Franklin, Wisconsin narrowly escaped a life-threatening situation after he fell through thin ice at Wind Lake. The incident occurred yesterday, roughly 12:30 p.m., when the local man ventured nearly 800 yards from shore to join friends for ice fishing, as reported by WISN.
Kerry Fritz, the witness who alerted emergency services, recounted the harrowing moment to WISN, "I was scared for him. When I seen him fall through I was on 911 and I did see him come back up, he did try to climb back out, fell back in," Fritz said. "He did go under a couple of times, and I could finally see his head, but that's all you could see, and he was screaming for help, rightfully so. It was very scary. It was awful."
Attempts to rescue the man were initially stymied by the ice's deceptive condition; local Norway police officers tried using a canoe, but the ice was too fragile to support their efforts. In a statement obtained by WTMJ, Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling praised the determined first responders, saying, “The actions of the officers and other responding personnel were a testament to training, commitment, and bravery."
Ultimately, advanced training paid off when a Racine County Sheriff's deputy, a member of the Sheriff's Dive Team, managed to reach the distressed man. However, during the fraught rescue efforts, the rescuer also plunged through the ice. The edge of the ice where the plunge occurred was believed to be about 2 inches thick, according to neighborhood estimates obtained by FOX6. After an intense hour, divers, along with fire and rescue teams, successfully retrieved the man using an inflatable boat. Both the deputy and the Franklin man were conscious upon returning to shore. The latter was transported to Froedtert Hospital for evaluation, with his condition undisclosed, as per reports from WTMJ and FOX6.
