ATV Plunges Through Lake Winnebago Ice 1-16-2012
gengberg January 16th, 2012
An all-terrain vehicle plunged into Lake Winnebago Saturday, another reminder to stay off thin ice, said Fond du Lac County’s chief deputy.At about 6:45 p.m., Sheriff’s Office Deputy James Borgen arrived on the west shore of Lake Winnebago near the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and Kinker Road to find that all of the people riding ATVs were accounted for, said Strand. One person, however, had to abandon an ATV when it broke through the ice.
“Borgen told them to wait until daylight before heading back out onto the lake,” Strand said. “He also gave them the number of a recovery company that goes and retrieves those sort of things.”
A snowstorm placed a four-inch blanket of snow on Lake Winnebago last week and with sunny, 37-degree weather on Monday, the lake is far from safe, Strand said.
“It hasn’t been cold enough yet (to make the lake safer),” Strand said. “On top of that, the snow makes it more difficult to form ice. … (The ATV enthusiasts) were in four wheelers, not cars, and they were having problems with that.”
Strand suggests checking with area fishing clubs to find out how thick the ice is.
The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures to remain below freezing until the weekend with a possibility of snow on Tuesday and Friday.
