Two men were fishing on January 6 in upstate New York. Sadly, one of them died, but his brother survived after they fell into an icy pond.
A person walking his dog saw the ice fishermen falling into Basswood Pond in the town of Burlington in Otsego County. He quickly called for help.
A forest ranger named Nate Lymon arrived at the scene. He found one man treading water, and the other was missing. The ranger crawled on the ice, used a rope to pull the 42-year-old man to safety, and brought him to shore on a sled. Emergency responders treated the man for hypothermia.
The ranger went back onto the ice to find the second person, the 41-year-old brother, who was found in 7 to 8 feet of water. They were both pulled out of the pond, but sadly, the second man was declared dead at the hospital.
The Department of Environmental Conservation mentioned that the ice was only one inch thick and not safe for fishing. They emphasized the importance of checking ice thickness regularly, as it can vary on a lake.
This incident happened a day after two brothers, aged 6 and 8, fell through the ice of a pond in Wisconsin and later died. The older boy died on January 6, and the younger one on January 8. The Sun Prairie Police Department expressed condolences to the affected families and friends.
