Coast Guard helps rescue 18 people with ATVs trapped on ice floe in Lake Erie
CATAWBA ISLAND, Lake Erie - Well, that was a Sunday afternoon adventure that did not go as planned.
The U.S. Coast Guard helped rescue 18 people from a huge chunk of ice that broke away from Catawba Island in Lake Erie on Sunday.
The Coast Guard said that the crew on a helicopter from Air Station Detroit noticed the adventurers around 1 p.m. They had several ATVs and were trying to find a way back to the land; there was none.
Credit: US Coast Guard
The Coast Guard helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer and began hoisting people off the ice, which others were rescued by a Coast Guard airboat and an airboat belonging to a Good Samaritan who happened to be nearby.
No one required medical attention.
In a statement, the Coast Guard said" [We urge] all who seek recreational opportunities on the ice to take precautions, not chances."
"There’s no such thing as safe ice, but people can mitigate their risks," said Lt. j.g. Jeremiah Schiessel, from Coast Guard Sector Detroit. "Always be sure to tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. Great Lakes ice is unpredictable, and conditions can change fast."