WATCH: Wisconsin Deputy Falls Through The Ice While Searching For Snowmobiler
A deputy from Barron County is thankfully recovering from a heart-stopping incident that was caught on his body camera as he was part of a search party looking for a snowmobiler who fell through the ice. According to a Press release from The Barron County Sheriff's Department here is what happened.
At 12:05 am on Saturday, March 19 the sheriff's department received a 911 call of a snowmobiler that went through the ice on Prarie lake. Deputies from the sheriff's department along with the Chetek and Cameron Fire Department and Mayo and Chetek Ambulance responded to the scene.
When deputies arrived they made their way onto the ice with their flashlights in hand when one of the deputies fell through the ice (see video below he fell through (around 2:42 into the video below) Thankfully he was able to pull himself onto the ice and crawl away from the hole he fell in. He was able to get a ride off the lake and went into the lodge to warm up.
Once they located the snowmobiler in the water the ice gave way and another deputy went into the water with the snowmobiler. They were able to hang on to the snowmobiler and help him stay afloat until they were both removed from the water by the fire department and other citizens. One deputy and the snowmobiler were transported to area hospitals for treatment. The snowmobiler remains in stable but serious condition in an area hospital. The deputy was released this morning and is at home recovering.
What a frightening situation which unfortunately seems to be commonplace this time of year and then add to the fact that they were doing the search at night. Thank you to everyone involved who put their safety at risk to try and help this one snowmobiler.