Father, Son Rescued By Malden Firefighters After Falling Through Ice At Fellsmere Pond
MALDEN (CBS) - Firefighters who rescued a father and son after they fell through thin ice in Malden this week are urging people to stay off bodies of water that may still be frozen.
On Tuesday, the father and son were playing catch with a football. After the son went out onto the ice first, his leg went through it. The father then fell into the neck deep water trying to pull his son out.
"He was in a condition where he really couldn't get himself out from underneath the ice because the ice kept breaking as he was pushing forward. I think he was tiring himself out, so we were able to get the right equipment quickly and get to him," said Lt. Nick Hooper of the Malden Fire Department.
By the time firefighters arrived at 4 p.m., the son was out of the water but the father wasn't.
"We decided to find the best access point. [The dad] was about 20 feet out. We deployed one of the firefighters in the suit to get him originally to try and give him a little bit of relief," said Malden Firefighter David Nylin. "Then, we had the sled go out with two members on there. At that point, the sled was tethered with a safety line, at which point, the firefighters grabbed the victim and got to pull them out with help from other crews."
The firefighters said there was already water around the rim of the pond, a sure sign the ice was not safe to be on. After Thursday's record high temperatures, it's highly unlikely ponds and lakes will freeze anytime soon.
