Two Arizona teens were rescued after the ice cracked on the lake they had walked out on, according to a Jan. 3 ABC New report. The two teens ended up clinging to a dead tree for hours as they awaited rescue on Fool Hollow Lake late Wednesday afternoon.
Luckily, they pair had a friend who stayed on the bank. When they got into trouble when the thin ice cracked, the friend called for help. Even so, each teen lost a shoe while waiting to be rescued. When they were finally rescued, they had to be treated for mild hypothermia.
Show Low Fire District Capt. Brent Mix said,
"Their hands and feet got pretty cold. It was dark by the time we got them to shore. Every once in a while we have kids trying to see how far out they can go. That was pretty foolish. There was probably an inch of ice in the middle of the lake."
It absolutely is foolish to walk out onto ice so thin. Lakes in Arizona are almost never safe to walk on because temperatures do not get cold enough. These teens are lucky they escaped with only mild cases of hypothermia because this situation could have turned out much worse. It is likely they learned their lesson after spending so many hours in the freezing temperatures, which ranged from 23-27 during their rescue.
Have you ever walked on thin ice? If so, did you have to be rescued?
Comments