A 61-year-old man tragically lost his life after his UTV fell through the ice on Pewaukee Lake near Lakeside Road on Saturday.
According to TMJ4, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the incident, which prompted a swift response from Lake Country Fire and Rescue (LCFR).
Emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 3 p.m. after bystanders called for help, reporting that they had lost sight of both the man and his vehicle beneath the ice. First responders arrived quickly and entered the freezing water equipped with ice rescue suits, but the depth of the lake made it impossible to locate the victim immediately.
Around 3:45 p.m., scuba divers joined the search and found the man, pulling him to the surface after approximately 37 minutes underwater.
“We watched them pull one body out, and after that, we were like, we are going to walk away,” said Jacob Miller, who had been ice fishing nearby.
Despite paramedics performing CPR and rushing the victim to a local hospital, he was pronounced dead. At the time of the accident, dozens of people were ice fishing on the lake, many attending a fundraiser or enjoying their weekend tradition.
Residents expressed shock and sorrow over the tragedy. “This community is so great. Anybody would help anybody,” said local ice fisher Cindy Holzem. “It has to be a terrible accident because I don’t think anyone challenges the ice if you’re an ice fisher.”
LCFR and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are reminding the public that “no ice is safe ice” and urging extreme caution when venturing onto frozen lakes, even in frigid temperatures.
