As spring approaches it’s the last thing that the sledding community wanted to hear – a snowmobiler nearly lost his life after falling through ice in Kearney.
It happened on Sunday March 12th at about 9:30pm. Cottager CJ Lusby and local resident Ryan Duchesne heard the victim’s cries for help. Lusby ran onto the ice and managed to get an extension cord around the victim while Ryan and his father pulled them to safety. The victim spent 15-20 minutes in the frigid water. He was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
It’s an uncanny coincidence for Lusby, whose brother was killed after falling through ice while riding a snowmobile. Ryan is a mechanic at Rickwards Polaris And Small Motors in Kearney and is a member of the Almaguin District Snowmobile Club
We reached out to the Kearney fire department and Chief Paul Schaefer told us, “As the weather is changing, before heading on any ice please check local conditions. If you don’t know – don’t go. It’s that easy to be safe and not put your life and the life of first responders at risk. In that location we had a fatality two years ago, (a) snowmobile through the ice. This guy was quite lucky. It certainly could have been worse.”
Watch our exclusive interview with CJ and Ryan about the dramatic rescue.
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