Good Samaritans, first responders save snowmobiler who went through thin ice on Saturday

GILFORD — Dockham Shore residents Ed and Patti Rocco were settled in for a Saturday movie night, and something about the lake looked especially beautiful. Patti decided to flip on the flood lights, a rare occurrence. That move may have been integral in saving the life of a man whose snowmobile went through the ice nearby.

Ed heard a cry for help, thinking it was from the movie, until they turned down the volume and realized it was coming from outside. A man, soaked from head to toe, was standing about 20 feet from the house, desperately crying out for help.

The Roccos, along with their neighbor Kim Ashworth, helped the snowmobiler as much as they could. He'd gone through the ice on Lake Winnipesaukee amid temperatures close to zero degrees Fahrenheit. Between their help, Gilford Police and Fire personnel, and snowmobile pants with built-in flotation, the man survived.

“It was pretty lucky he was able to get someone to hear him for help, because it was really cold,” said Fire Chief Steve Carrier.

Carrier said they were called at 7:40 p.m., and were on scene at 21 Dockham Shore Road seven minutes later.

“He had fallen and was in the water some distance from the house, and walked to the spot while yelling for help,” Carrier said. “When we got there, he was standing about 20 feet offshore, very cold.”

Carolynn Sinclair said her boyfriend, David, was out ice fishing with friends on Saturday. Time got away from them, and he left a little later than he planned. After breaking down camp, he thought he knew where he was going, but the darkness was disorienting.

“He ended up going slow over a bubbler that he didn’t see,” Sinclair said. “The rear of his snowmobile went through.”

Bubblers keep water from freezing around docks along the shore and damaging them during the winter.

She said he tried to work his way out, but got his foot stuck on the handlebar, and he and the machine went under. He was able to make his way back onto the ice, and Sinclair said she doesn’t know if this would have been possible if he wasn’t wearing FXR snowmobiling pants equipped with a flotation material.

“He said those pants saved his life, and I don’t doubt that at all,” Ashworth said on Tuesday. “I could see the next morning that he basically pulled himself up and walked from where his snowmobile went in.”

Ashworth was sure the situation could have turned deadly.

“It was already a bad scenario, but it could have been a whole lot worse,” Ashworth said. “There were no other houses on our side of the bay with lights on, so I think he went to the first house, Ed and Patti’s house.”

Ashworth said the man was standing on the ice pleading for help, soaked to the bone.

“They heard his calls for help and we went outside, and he was standing there, just encased in ice,” Ashworth said. “He was a Popsicle. I can’t believe he could walk that distance.”

Ashworth said it looked like he walked about 100 yards before getting to the area of the homes, and there were areas of thin ice due to water bubblers at the docks. The Roccos called Ashworth, who threw on layers, ready to help someone she initially thought was still in the water.

“He wasn’t, thank God, but he was freezing to death,” Ashworth said.

While outside, Ashworth and the Roccos talked with him and tried to find ways to get him to shore, without going through the ice again. Even being in the shallow area, he was so cold they were seriously concerned.

“The poor guy was pleading, saying he was freezing and couldn’t feel his legs,” Ashworth said.

Ashworth was searching the property for ways to get to him, and thought of sending out a kayak, but 911 dispatchers told Patti the group should wait until first responders arrived.

Ed spoke to David in an attempt to calm him down.

Ed told him not to step forward, because the ice was thin. David told Ed he had been in the water for upward of 20 minutes, couldn’t see out of his glasses, and his snowmobile helmet shield had frozen.

“I stayed to talk to the gentleman, and told him to try to rub his chest to create friction,” Ed said. “He was so frozen. He couldn’t move. He didn’t think he was going to make it, but I said, 'I’m not going to leave him.'”

Suddenly, they saw lights coming down the road; it was Gilford Police. They came down to the ice to work to keep him calm, Ashworth said, and then rescuers were able to retrieve him.

“They came in dry suits and ended up walking out to him,” Ashworth said. “He was probably only 10 to 15 feet away, but we weren’t sure how thick the ice was.”

Carrier said two firefighters in ice rescue suits helped get the victim to land, as dock bubblers were making ice unsafe. In the process of bringing him to shore, he went through the ice again.

Ed said first responders were submerged as well, but fortunately in only about 3 feet of water.

The first responders used a flat backboard to carry the man out, and brought him into the Roccos’ home. Ed opened the slider door and turned on the gas fireplace, and tried to get him warm.

“We had heated, battery-powered vests and jackets, so we put it on top of him with blankets and towels to warm him up,” Ashworth said.

Ashworth said emergency personnel took his temperature and it was very low, so they got him onto a chair, then onto a stretcher to be taken to Concord Hospital-Laconia by ambulance.

“We transported him to the hospital, and he was somewhat hypothermic,” Carrier said.

Ashworth said the temperatures that night were so cold she couldn’t imagine what he was going through. She is currently training for the Tokyo Marathon, and considers herself in great physical shape for the race. However, the temperatures made it so she had difficulty breathing, and a tough bronchospasm sent her to urgent care the following day.

“His fingers were blue,” Ashworth said. “He couldn’t feel them. He was putting his fingers in his mouth to warm them up.”

Ashworth has experience snowmobiling, mostly in Pittsburg, but has spent some time on the ice. She said it's prudent to stay in the middle of the lake if riding on ice, and it's easy to get turned around at night. She thinks the shield of his helmet frosted, decreasing visibility.

This is the second time in the 10 years since Ashworth and her husband moved into the house they've seen this type of scenario. Now, she's thinking about safety measures she can take to be ready if it ever happens again. Ashworth said the fire department recommended having a 200-foot rope in a long bag to throw to someone in distress, and she will also place a ladder nearby, just in case.

Sinclair said David gave her permission to speak about the incident on his behalf, because he wants the Roccos and Ashworth, as well as police and first responders, to know his gratitude.

“He was so thankful, and most of these things end in body recoveries,” Sinclair said.

Sinclair said David was released from the hospital that same night, and while he has frostbite on one hand he had evaluated on Tuesday, he is doing OK.

“He was a little out of it Sunday, but today he is physically OK, except for his hand,” she said. “But he could have lost body parts or worse. He is grateful for everyone who showed up to help.”

Ed knows there were many factors that came into play to help David survive. He said he did what any good Samaritan would do, and commended police and first responders, saying this is evidence of what having a good police and fire department brings.

“I am so grateful,” Ed said. “God was watching out for this gentleman. Ironically, my wife never puts those lights on. I’m so happy we actually heard him, and that we were home.”