U-Haul breaks through ice on Mt. Desert lake, driver saved
Mount Desert and Southwest Harbor FD personnel and Mount Desert PD were on scene and rescued a man after he drove a U-Haul truck onto a lake on Mt. Desert. The ice was approximately 2.5 inches thick throughout the lake and about an inch where he broke through. The truck will not be removed until the ice is thicker and safer for the marine salvage company, according to Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. (Photo courtesy IF&W)
(Photo courtesy IF&W)
Mount Desert and Southwest Harbor FD personnel and Mount Desert PD were on scene and rescued a man after he drove a U-Haul truck onto a lake on Mt. Desert. The ice was approximately 2.5 inches thick throughout the lake and about an inch where he broke through. The truck will not be removed until the ice is thicker and safer for the marine salvage company, according to Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. (Photo courtesy IF&W)
(Photo courtesy IF&W)A 75-year-old man driving a rented U-Haul truck broke through the ice on Echo Lake in Mount Desert early in the morning, Jan. 17. The man was rescued by local EMS and taken to MDI Hospital, where he was treated and released.
The incident happened at approximately 4:45 a.m.
"It appears the elderly man was confused and was not aware of where he was," according to a news release from the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. "The man drove down the Ikes Point Road then continued right onto the ice on Echo Lake where he drove approximately 450 yards before partially breaking through approximately 5 inches of ice. The man was able to crawl to the top of the truck before he called 911 and was rescued. It appears he was not under the influence of alcohol or anything else."
Later this morning, the truck broke through the ice completely and is now totally submerged. A Marine salvage company is working to remove the truck from the lake.
