Ice Fisherman Airlifted Off Lake St. Claire

A U.S. Coast Guard rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Detroit hoisted an injured man off of Lake St. Clair in Ontario, Canada, after the all-terrain vehicle on which he and three friends were riding overturned. The group was on an ice fishing trip when the accident occurred about 2 miles from shore.

Controllers at the Coast Guard’s 9th District Command Center received a request for assistance from Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Trenton, Ontario , which was relaying the report from the Ontario Provincial Police.  The command center contacted Sector Detroit personnel who diverted a Coast Guard Air Station Detroit MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew already in flight.

When the crew arrived on scene a rescue swimmer was deployed to assess and stabilize the man, a U.S. citizen, before he was hoisted aboard and transported to Canadian EMTs at Mitchell’s Bay Marina in Mitchell's Bay, Ontario.

A few of the Coast Guard's many safety tips for outdoorsmen and ice enthusiasts  are to never venture out alone and to always have a way to communicate distress to authorities should an emergency occur.

 A video of the rescue is at: http://www.dvidshub.net/branch/Coast+Guard#.UtX67_bM2pJ