Lucky Man Falls Through Ice Near Officers Conducting Ice Rescue Training

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies conducting ice rescue training in Washington this week were in the right place at just the right time to rescue a man who fell through the ice nearby, officials said.

The King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive Unit and Mercer Island Police Department officers were engaged in a joint ice rescue training Tuesday at Fish Lake, southeast of Seattle, when a man fell through the ice into 35-degree water.

“Suddenly, the exercise transitioned into a real-life rescue, and officers from both agencies sprang into action to safely pull him from the water,” Mercer Island Police said.

A video shared by the sheriff’s office shows the man holding onto the edges of the ice hole with just his head above water. With the ice crackling around him, rescuers belly-crawled to his location with a sled, rope harness, and what appears to be a floatation device.

Once the man was secured, the safely pulled him out of the water and toward solid ground. The sheriff’s office said the man was uninjured, if cold, and was able to drive himself home.

“Our Sgt. says if they hadn’t been there this could have had a very different ending,” the sheriff’s office said.