Mounties say a 70-year-old man who went through the ice on the Kennebecasis River has died.
Sgt. Luc Samson confirms the victim, who was from Passekeag, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Emergency crews received a call from the Kennebecasis Park area in Rothesay shortly after 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Deputy Chief Shawn White of the Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department said the caller saw a four-wheeler go through the ice and the driver struggling to get out of the water.
“It was quite a ways away from the shore. It was at least a quarter of the way across the river,” White told our newsroom on Sunday evening.
“Our fire crews were having a hard time getting to the patient because as they were crossing the river, the ice kept breaking. It took a long time to actually get to the area where the patient was.”
The Kennebecasis Regional Police Force, RCMP, and Ambulance New Brunswick also responded to the scene.
As firefighters worked to get to the victim, they called the Saint John Fire Department for mutual aid assistance.
White said the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax also offered a Cormorant helicopter from CFB Greenwood to help.
“Once our crews were able to find the patient, they were able to retrieve the victim, bring him back onto the ice,” he said.
“The helicopter arrived on the scene and they were able to lift the patient from the ice into the helicopter and they transported the patient to the hospital.”
White said ice rescue calls are not uncommon for his department, especially in the Kennebecasis Park area, where the water does not freeze properly due to the currents.
“We are advising people to make sure that they know how thick the ice is when they’re on it. If they’re unfamiliar with the area, please do not travel on the ice because it is very unpredictable,” he said.
“With the weather conditions that we’ve had — the warm temperatures, the cold temperatures — we never say that the ice is safe, but this year in particular, it’s worrisome for us.”
Video: Submitted/Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department
