12-year-old falls through ice trying to save teen from frigid lake, Minnesota cops say
Worried community members gathered around a lake as a person called 911 for help saying a child had fallen through, Minnesota police said.
A 16-year-old boy fell through the ice covering the lake in Woodbury, and a 12-year-old girl ventured onto the lake to rescue him, police and WCCO said. The girl also fell into the icy water.
Rescuers, including a dive team, arrived and pulled the 12-year-old girl out of the frigid water on Dec. 2, police and the Pioneer Press reported. She was in “ok” condition, police told WCCO.
Then, divers went deeper into the freezing waters in search of the teen boy, Woodbury police said in a Facebook post. He was pulled from the water and rushed to the hospital in critical conditionafter being underwater for an hour and a half, the Pioneer Press reported.
Police said no other people fell through the ice.
Woodbury is about a 20-mile drive southeast from Minneapolis.
What to do if you fall through ice
It’s never a guarantee that ice is safe to walk on.
You can’t judge the strength of ice by its appearance. Its strength also has to do with the water under the ice and the distribution of the load on the ice, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Even if every safety precaution is followed, sometimes the ice can begin to shatter. Here’s what to do if you find yourself plunging through ice:
Don’t take off your winter clothing. They’ll keep you warm and provide flotation.
Turn toward the direction you came.
Put your hands and arms on unbroken ice, and use available tools to try to pull yourself up.
Kick your feet and dig in.
Lie flat on the ice to keep your weight spread out. This will help prevent you from falling in again.
Get to a warm and dry place immediately.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 4:43 PM with the headline "12-year-old falls through ice trying to save teen from frigid lake, Minnesota cops say."
