Mass. man's new SUV falls through ice

A man from Andover, Mass. lost his vehicle through the ice of Lake Winnipesaukee yesterday afternoon.

The fire department received a 911 call at 1:15 p.m. from Michael Pandelena, reporting that his 2007 Ford Explorer (Eddie Bauer Edition) sport utility vehicle had broken through the ice.

Pandelena later said he fishes on Saunders Bay, near Silver Sands Marina, every winter. He was planning to put out his ice fishing shack next weekend, and said he was driving out to check the condition of the ice. He got about 300 yards from shore when he heard the chilling sound of ice cracking beneath him. "When it started cracking, I stopped." As soon as he stopped, he said, the front end of the vehicle went through the ice. Pandelena couldn't open the doors, so he exited the vehicle through the driver's side window.

Pandelena was able to escape the ordeal without getting wet, but suffered the pain of watching helplessly as his brand-new vehicle sank.

According to cars.com, a 2007 Explorer weighs more than 4,000 pounds.

According to state law RSA 485-A, "Water Pollution and Waste Disposal," the owner of any petroleum-powered vehicle or petroleum container that becomes submerged in state waters "shall remove the vehicle or container from the water within 48 hours or as soon thereafter as safety and weather conditions permit." The law continues to say that the cost of removal will be borne by the vehicle owner, and that the state authorities "may" issue citations for a violation of the law and issue fines of $500 per day for each day the vehicle remains in the water.

Due to the observed holiday yesterday, no state officials could be reached to answer whether or not Pandelena would be permitted to wait until spring to haul out the Ford, or if he would have to pay for someone to recover the vehicle immediately.

Gilford Fire Chief James Hayes, who responded to the scene, said yesterday's incident was the first case this winter of a vehicle breaking through the ice of any waters in Gilford, although it's not an uncommon occurrence.

Hayes said the event should serve as a caution to other people who think of driving out onto a frozen water body. "Just because it's cold doesn't mean it's safe to put a vehicle on it."

The recent pattern of weather, which saw unseasonably warm days with rain, likely reduced the ice on the lake. The warm weather was followed by a couple of snowfalls, and the snowcover can insulate the ice surface and slow its formation, the chief said.

"Safety on Ice," a brochure available on the state Fish and Game Department's website, states that four to six inches of bluish or black ice can support a small group of dispersed people, and eight to ten inches can support an off-highway recreational vehicle. The brochure states, "Don't drive large vehicles out onto the ice."