An 88-year-old grandfather died on a lake in Maine when the ATV he and his grandson were riding broke through the ice, plunging the grandson into frigid water.
Authorities said Floyd Hardison was ice fishing with his son and two grandsons at Spring River Lake in Hancock County on Friday when the family decided to pack up and return to shore around 6 p.m.
Mark Ratti, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries, said Hardison’s grandfather and adult grandson were riding in one all-terrain vehicle when Hardison’s ATV hit the ice about 400 yards from shore. Another grandson and his father were in another all-terrain vehicle. wild animals.
Officials said Son, who was driving the ATV that crashed, was able to get back onto the ice and escape, but Hardison was unable to do so.
The elderly man’s body was discovered about two hours later in 10 feet of water by firefighters wearing wet suits.
The Waltham man’s death is the latest incident linked to dangerous ice conditions in the Northeast in recent months.
In late January, a Maine town mayor drowned while rescuing his 4-year-old son who had fallen through the ice on Etna Pond.
The next day, two adults and three children survived when a car crashed into the ice of Moose Pond in Denmark, Maine.
Also in January, local authorities helped search for the missing man after hearing faint, frantic cries for help from a lobsterman off the coast of Maine.
In December, a Vermont state trooper also jumped into an icy pond and rescued an 8-year-old girl who had been submerged for several minutes.
The girl and her sister were playing on the thin ice of a pond on private property when they jumped into the frigid water.
The 80-year-old homeowner was able to pull the little girl to safety, but was unable to rescue the 8-year-old and called 911. All survived.
with post wire
