BURLINGTON, N.Y. (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – One man perished, but his brother survived, after the pair fell through a frozen pond in upstate New York while on an ice fishing outing last week, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
At around 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, a man walking his dog saw the two ice fishermen fall through the thin ice on Basswood Pond in Burlington, NY, and called 911, officials said.
Forest Ranger Nate Laymon was one minute away from the pond and responded; he lost sight of one man, but saw another treading water.
Laymon entered the ice, crawled toward the 42-year-old man, and used a throw bag to help him out of the water.
“He eventually grabbed the rope, and pulled him up onto the ice. You know, I was coaching him, you know ‘hey, kick your feet, kick your feet,” Laymon said while recounting the rescue.
The Ranger got the victim onto a sled, and by 2:55 p.m. he pulled it to shore where he was met by the Edmeston Fire Department, authorities said.
Fire officials used their truck to start the drying and warming process and help the subject, who was “suffering from hypothermia,” according to the DEC.
Laymon suited back up to go look for the other brother, and at 3:05 p.m., he located the 41-year-old after he said he caught sight of his red, white and black reflective Polaris snowmobiling coat.
The DEC said that the victim was in seven to eight feet of water.
“I made a big push, kind of dipped my head under, dove my shoulders down, and I got a hold of the guy and brought him up to the surface. And then it was just, you know, trying to get him out and over the ice shelf,” Laymon said.
New York State Police, Otsego County Emergency Services and Edmeston, Fly Creek, Schuyler Lake and West Edmeston volunteer fire departments helped pull the Ranger and submerged man to shore, the DEC said.
At 3:23 p.m., care was handed over to EMS, who began performing CPR.
Authorities said that the men were both transported to a local hospital, and while the first brother was treated and released, the other was pronounced dead later that night.
The DEC did not identify the brothers, both of Richfield Springs.
“Everyone that was involved in that rescue did a fantastic job. We all did the best we could. And, you know, we saved one and we gave the other one a fighting chance,” Laymon said.
According to the DEC, the ice at Basswood Pond was about one-inch thick, unsafe for ice fishing.
The agency provides information on ice safety at its website, and notes that while three to four inches of solid ice is the general rule for safety while ice fishing, ice thickness is “not uniform on any body of water.” People out on ice are encouraged to check the ice periodically.
“Know the conditions. Know what you’re getting into,” Laymon warned.