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Washington Township Fire Department WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP FIRE & RESCUE DEPT

Date: January 8, 2011
Rescued: Snowmobiler
Pilots & Rescue Team: Washington Township Fire & Rescue Department

ERIE, MI (WTVG) -- It was a close call for outdoor enthusiasts along Lake Erie. Three people fell through the ice and one woman end up in the hospital. They fell into the water at Lost Peninsula Marina in Erie, Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Despite it all, there were no serious injuries.

Authorities say, after last week's mild temps, this weekend's cold weather doesn't mean hitting the ice is a safe bet. "We never trust the ice out here, because winds shift, water rises and lowers, and you just never know when a crack can form and an unsafe condition can develop," says Washington Twp. Assistant Chief Jim Binienda. A husband and wife were snowmobiling Sunday afternoon near Lost Peninsula Marina, south of Bay Point, when the ice cracked and the woman fell in.

Washington Township crews used a hovercraft to rescue the couple. First responders quickly covered the woman with warm blankets and rushed her to a Monroe County hospital. She is expected to be fine. Just hours earlier and a few hundred yards away, two other people, one on a snowmobile and the other on a 4-wheeler, fell through the same ice.

Their vehicles are still immersed, but both managed to make it out of the icy water on their own. Local authorities are urging everyone to keep off the ice. If you plan on heading out anyway, they urge you to stay close to the shoreline where the water is typically shallow.