Brothers survive fall through thin ice on Minnesota lake, share warning for others

OSAGE Minn Certain young boys from Lakes Country have a fish story to tell and it just may save someone s life A -year-old and his younger brother fell through the ice on a lake near Park Rapids Right there that little bubble type area is right where we fell through noted Gabe Savage who was rescued from the ice Fourteen-year-old Gabe pointed to the area on Straight Lake in Osage Minn where he and his -year-old brother had to be rescued Tuesday afternoon Nov Just itching to fish just itching to get out on the early ice Savage disclosed Gabe disclosed he surveyed the ice with his brother before going out and noticed it was about an inch thick That s why they did not walk on the ice but used their otter sled to slide across with an ice pick We just pushed ourselves out there we used that to make our holes and stuff after that the water just started coming out of the holes after that we really weighed it down and started cracking and we just caved in Savage commented A neighbor who was watching the boys noticed what happened about yards from shore and called Drone video from the Becker County Sheriff s Office shows the conditions at the time of the rescue The water and ice combination made it formidable to reach the boys and it took about minutes You could feel the ice vibrating so I had the idea in my mind we could capsize I m so thankful we didn t Savage stated While the boys may have made a bad choice to go out on the thin ice they are being given credit for making a good decision My one son had a life jacket on and my other son has a suit that has various flotation devices built into the suit itself and ice fishing suit noted Cyrus Gust the boys father First responders stated the use of the otter sled was critical in keeping them above water and dry until help arrived So glad I didn t drown or get hypothermia or I could still be in the hospital right now or who knows Savage reported Gabe admits sharing his story is embarrassing but thought his message could save others from making the same choice I want other people to realize that they should just wait and how dangerous it is to be out on the ice this early and when it s thin it s just not a smart idea and I should have realized that the previous evening Gabe commented It is a fish tale these brothers will tell for years to come about the dangers of thin ice Mom and Dad plan on making the boys write a description about the dangers of thin ice The Minnesota Department of Natural Tools says for thin ice anything less than inches should be avoided At inches it is only safe to go on foot No snowmobiles until it is at least to inches thick and no ATVs until there is inches of ice Cars can go out when it is to inches thick and it will be safe for the greater part trucks when the ice is to inches thick There should be no ice fishing castles allowed until the ice is inches or thicker Temperature snow cover currents springs and rough fish all affect the relative safety of ice Ice is seldom the same thickness over a single body of water it can be two feet thick in one place and one inch thick a sparse yards away Courtesy of the Minnesota DNR The DNR tells WDAY even when the ice is thick enough to progress on that does not mean it is perfectly safe Different parts of the lake can freeze at different rates and there are warning signs everyone should watch out for Whether it be discoloration from chosen thickness from one location on the lake to another you know bubbles forming those kinds of things water on the surface all things to be aware of disclosed Grey Corbus conservation officer with the Minnesota DNR Related Articles Twin Cities ICE employee charged in child sex sting Bloomington police say Florida university administrator named new president of St Cloud State Officials say man was killed by Clearwater County deputy after firing flare gun MN paid family biological leave will leverage statistics selfies to fight fraud MN History Center Five objects with Minnesota stories to tell