The Madison Police and Fire Departments rescued a man who spent about 15 minutes in Monona Bay Monday morning after falling through the ice.
The victim of Monday's incident, a 50-year-old man from Madison, was walking to work and taking a shortcut across the bay from the south, according to reports. He dug a sharp instrument into the ice to keep himself from falling further into the water and to buy himself some time before the arrival of rescuers.
MFD paramedics treated and transported the man to Meriter Hospital, where his condition has not yet been released.
Police and the fire department's Lake Rescue team received a call at 7:58 a.m. from two ice fishermen nearby who had heard a man scream for help and that he had fallen through the ice near Brittingham Park.
MPD Public Information Officer Mike Hanson said 911 calls like these are not uncommon during the winter months.
"We're never surprised by these calls when they come in," he said. "We'll probably get anywhere from two to four calls like these before winter is over. Luckily, we've got proper equipment and staff to respond quickly to these rescue situations."
The rescue team, consisting of two firefighters clad in wetsuits, arrived on the scene at 8:04 a.m. and used ropes and clamps to rescue the man who was 200 yards away from shore, the report said.
To reach the victim, one member of the rescue team, equipped with a safety line, crawled on his stomach across the ice, a report stated. Upon reaching the man, the firefighter secured the rope to him, and other team members pulled them both to shore.
The ice near the shore was too thin to support the weight of the two men, so the rescue team could not lift the victim from the hole, but rather had to drag him through the ice, breaking it on the way, toward shore until he reached dry land.
The man was out of the ice at 8:12 a.m. after being in the water for about 15 minutes, the reports stated.
Hanson said when someone calls 911 in a rescue situation such as this, the fire department's lake rescue team is paged along with police to make the quickest rescue possible.
The incident comes in the wake of the deaths of two Sheboygan residents, a 44-year-old man and his nine-year-old daughter, who were ice-skating on a pond.
Hanson said people should be aware of the fact that the water has not had enough time to freeze entirely.
"Accidents happen, but people should really wait some time if they are even going to try to walk out on the lakes," he said.
According to a fire department report, it is difficult to determine ice conditions and whether it is safe to walk on a body of water. The report advised people to stay off the ice, and if someone has to be on the ice, they should be sure to use safety equipment and a personal flotation device.
