(KNSI) – An ATV with two people aboard went through thin ice on Lake Francis Saturday night.
The Meeker County Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened at about 9:45, not far from the lake access near 330th Street. The driver was a 20-year-old man from Dassel. His passenger was a 20-year-old man from Litchfield. They were cruising along the ice and hit a slushy patch. When the ATV broke through, both men were left standing in waist-deep water.
They were able to make it back to shore and declined medical care at the scene. Sheriff Brian Cruze reminds people that extra caution should be used when venturing out onto the ice early in the season. The general rule of thumb is that five to eight inches of ice is needed to support an ATV. At least 13 is needed before a pickup truck should try to roll out onto the ice.
He adds that no ice is ever 100% safe.
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