‘Incredible teamwork’: First responders rescue man from icy pond in Otoe County

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Several first responders rescued a man who was trapped in an icy pond in Otoe County for nearly 45 minutes on Sunday.

Syracuse Rescue Service Chief Tim Wilson said they got a report of a man who fell though the ice around 4:30 p.m. The rescue service, along with Syracuse Fire Department, Nebraska State Patrol and Otoe County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a farm pond near Syracuse.

Chief Wilson said two men were ice fishing when one of them fell though the ice. Wilson said the second man tried to pull his friend out of the water and couldn’t get back out. The first man ran to call for help.

NSP said one of their troopers and an Otoe County Sheriff’s deputy also fell through the ice in the shallow area while trying to save the fisherman. A trooper then used an ice fishing sled to slide out onto the ice and get the man out of the water.

“(The trooper) held the man out of the water as long as possible while awaiting more help,” an NSP spokesperson said.

NSP said a citizen with an aluminum boat helped the trooper load the man into the boat which was then pulled to shore by other first responders.

Chief Wilson said the man was severely hypothermic and was transported to the hospital in Syracuse. NSP said the man is doing better as of Monday.

The state patrol said the rescue involved “incredible teamwork” from multiple first responders.

Copyright 2023 KOLN. All rights reserved.