Thin ice causes problems at Tired Iron snowmachine event
Published Monday, March 10, 2008
Digg
del.icio.us
Facebook
Mixx
Reddit
Stumble It!Five people — including one police officer — fell through the thinning Chena River ice during the Tired Iron Annual Vintage Snowmachine Race and River Rally on Saturday, Fairbanks Police Department officers said. No one was injured.
Officer David Duncan said he was part of a two-cop team attending the event as part of his department’s public safety function. The pair saw a man on a snowmachine fall through the ice during the event and helped him to safety, he said. They later saw a pair of girls fall through thinning ice while walking across the river, and then watched a bystander successfully help them out, but not before the man fell in himself, Duncan said.
Then Duncan said the ice beneath him cracked as he jogged toward the scene, making him the river’s fifth victim of the night.
“We had stopped running, and within a few seconds ... I went in,” he said.
Temperatures in Fairbanks have hovered at or above 40 degrees in recent days, and Duncan warned others to avoid traveling across ice-covered rivers.
“The (Chena) River is definitely unsafe, even though it may appear safe on the surface,” he said.
Community Discussion
Newsminer.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full user's agreement.
Well, guess a vehicle isn't this years first river casualities.
It was a very fun event to watch. I saw the 2 cops sitting on a couple of snowmachines not doing anything. They watched as people walked over the unsafe ice and never did a thing until afterwards. If they were down there as a "safety program" they should have been blocking off the slushy area to keep people off from it. They were maybe 50 feet if that far from the place the people fell in were at. The one driver that ran over to help was over 150 feet away.
Every year the ice melts in the spring. It's good for the gene pool.
I was there when this happened..it was pretty funny, all four (minus the guy on the sled) went in within about 30 seconds from each other. People started rushing towards the girls and the guy, but for some reason became a little preoccupied when the officer went in. The announcers comment, "if brains were lard, they couldn't grease the bottom of a pan." topped it all off too.
definitely good for the gene pool...and that quote is hysterical! wish i could have been there watching.
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.