Two sledders rescued through ice in southern Adirondacks
By RICHARD NILSEN and KAYLEIGH KARUTIS, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
CAROGA - Two young men were rescued from Pine Lake in the southern Adirondacks after going through the ice on their snowmobiles Saturday afternoon.
Justin Brownell, 21, of Johnstown, and Chad Stumpf, 21, of Caroga Lake, were both transported to hospitals after treading water for nearly 30 minutes. They have since been discharged from hospitals.
Caroga Volunteer Fire Chief Barb DeLuca said a call came in at 3:54 p.m. Saturday that two snowmobiles had gone through the ice on Pine Lake. She said rescue personnel from the fire department, state police and Forest Ranger Dave Kallen out of Northville responded in about 10 minutes and labored through broken ice and deep frigid water in ice rescue suits to retrieve Stumpf and Brownell with ropes.
According to the Fulton County sheriff's office, an investigation showed that Stumpf had been the first to drive his snowmobile across the lake from the east to west shores three times. Stumpf made a fourth trip across the lake, this time with Brownell following, and when he made it across and turned around he noticed Brownell's vehicle partially submerged in the water with Brownell standing on the rear of the snowmobile. In an attempt to rescue Brownell, police said Stumpf drove toward him and upon reaching him, Stumpf's snowmobile went through the ice and both his and Brownell's vehicles became completely submerged.
DeLuca said the two were treading water and one was unresponsive but breathing. Both had to be brought out in rescue sleds towed behind snowmobiles because of the terrain. The two were about 100 feet apart in the water and had been in the water about 30 minutes, DeLuca said.
Deedee VanGorder and her husband made two of the three 911 calls after realizing the pair had fallen in. A neighbor made the third call after they waited for what "seemed like forever" for emergency officials, VanGorder said.
"We were aware they were out on the ice because they were very loud," she said. "My husband actually commented they must be crazy because it had just frozen over for a few days."
After a while, the lack of noise is what alerted the pair that something might be wrong.
"We realized we weren't hearing them anymore," she said.
A woman who was waiting for the snowmobilers on the edge of the lake ran to the VanGorder's home and asked them to call 911. After calling 911, VanGorder and her husband went outside and yelled to the young men. VanGorder said they wanted to keep the pair talking.
"One of them was definitely very verbal, yelling, 'Help us! Get us out!'" she said. "It was really pretty awful."
Two LifeNet helicopters were called to land at a staging point at Wheelerville Union Free School. One victim was taken to Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown and the other was taken by ambulance to Nathan Littauer Hospital.
DeLuca said besides Kallen, firefighters from Caroga who went in the water to bring out the victims were Bob Sullivan, Joe Insogna and Alan Peck.
"They were awesome," DeLuca said. "Another few minutes in that water and I don't know."
Other than hypothermia, DeLuca was unsure if the victims had other injuries.
DeLuca said it was ironic that she had just gotten a call from U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer's office Wednesday that her fire company had been the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the U.S. Homeland Security Department for ice rescue.
