At this time of the year Ice Fishing and other winter sports are going strong. There should always be a bit of thought with being on the ice, how thick is it? What do I do if I fall through?
Brent Cochrane had an experience of falling through the ice at East Canyon Reservoir, he hopes experience can be a lesson for others. He and his three friends had been fishing on the ice throughout the morning when he said they noticed the ice near the hole they drilled was melting. As they walked back toward the shore, Cochrane fell through. In the area he fell through that part of the lake was 15 to 20 feet deep.
Brent said “I’ve always heard you lay on your back and kick your feet so you can get back up on the ice backwards. It just kept breaking every time I’d try to lift myself up, so I figured I’d just go all the way to the shore if I had to,” he said.
Another member of the group tried to get to Brent, but fell through. Brent urged the others not to come closer as he tried to get himself out of the water. Another member called the park office for help, Ranger Chris Haramoto answered and rushed down the hill to help. He tossed a rope to Brent.
“My hands were so frozen, it just kept pulling the rope out of my hands, so then he tied it in a loop and threw it out to me and I put it under my arms,” Brent said. It took four of them to get him ashore. Where another group got him to a cabin they were renting until the paramedics came to check Brent out.
What could they have done different? Haramoto said people heading out onto the ice should go with a partner and bring ropes and safety spikes, just in case someone falls through.
The Utah Division of Natural Resources said ice needs to be about four inches thick to support a single person and five inches thick to support a group.
