Officials urge extra caution on ice after 2 deaths from UTV accidents just days apart

 

WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- Hearts are heavy after two UTV accidents in Southeast Wisconsin two days apart claimed two lives.

The two accidents were nearly 90 miles apart, but the bodies of water where they happened had the same thing in common, tricking the drivers of these vehicles in motion to think what was actually open water was ice.

Described as a guy always willing to lend a hand, long-time Fond du Lac Yacht Club member Clay Creighton will be missed.

"But by the time they realized it was open water ahead, it was too late. They couldn't stop," said Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt.

Video shows Lake Winnebago with a long crack less than 24 hours before the UTV Creighton was a passenger on slipped into open water and turned upside down fast in eight feet of water.

"So they were able to stand and keep their heads above water while standing, but the water is mid-30 degrees and it's pretty cold, and hypothermia sets in quick, shock sets in quick," said Sheriff Waldschmidt.

Two days earlier, first responders from Twin Lakes responded to Lake Elizabeth for a UTV in the water. Two men survived, but a 70-year-old Illinois man did not. It was another case where open water looked like ice. The DNR is seeing an uptick in the number of UTV accidents, partly due to the warm-cold shifts.

"We had that really 70-degree temperature swing that is playing havoc with the ice. We went from negative 20 at night some weeks ago to 50 degrees last week," said Sheriff Waldschmidt.

The fatality Saturday wasn't Fond du Lac County's only water rescue this weekend. There were several others.

"All of them are within a couple hundred yards of shore. They're all instances where there's open water or cracks," said Sheriff Waldschmidt.

"You have these pressure cracks that occur on lakes where you'll have 15 inches of ice, but then you'll have a three-foot section that's wide open due to a pressure crack," said Jason Roberts, conservation warden with the DNR.

Jason Roberts suggests using a boat cushion as your UTV seat because it floats. 

"To have a means of self-rescuing, whether that's to have flotation system built into your ice fishing equipment and clothes, or having tools on your person, like ice picks, to get yourself back out onto the ice. If you fall in you need to take a second to get your breathing under control because so many people have that cold shock response and they ingest water immediately," said Roberts.

Sturgeon spearing season gets underway this coming weekend, which could draw even more UTV traffic onto the lakes. The sheriff advises you check out the Facebook pages of local fishing clubs as they post updates on lake conditions.

Here are a few in Fond du Lac County: Fishermans Road Fishing Club, Pipe Fishing Club, West Short Fishing Club and Foot of the Lake Fishing Club.