FILLMORE, Ind. — Two men were riding ATVs on a lake in Putnam County Saturday. They both went under and one of them is dead.
Around 1:15pm, two ATV drivers fell through the ice on Heritage Lake. Heritage lake is 20 miles northeast of Greencastle.
One of the men was able to pull himself out of the water. Divers recovered the other driver, 48 year-old Brett Crowder, around 6pm. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim was treated by medics on site.
The central Indiana divers searched for Crowder in short shifts of 10 minutes due to the extreme temperatures. A drone had also been used during the search.
Lt. Angela Goldman who was on the scene is warning others of the dangers being on frozen ponds and lakes.
“If you’re going to be out on this water whether you are ice skating or ice fishing, or operating an off road vehicle, put a life jacket on! There is no reason why you can’t have a life jacket on on top of your clothing. A rope, ice picks, there are some you can put in your pocket, so if you do end up in the water, you can those ice picks to pull yourself back out.”
The DNR adds that any ice you walk on should be at least four inches thick. They recommend five to six inches thick before driving an ATV on the ice.
The ice on Heritage Lake was only two inches thick.
(Photo Provided by WISH/Alex Elkins)
