Snowmobiler rescued after plunging into open water on Winnipeg River near Lac du Bonnet

The Lac du Bonnet Fire Department is warning snowmobilers to stick to designated trails after a 32-year-old man was rescued after driving into open water on the Winnipeg River on New Year’s Eve.

Crews were sent out around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after reports of a snowmobile going through the ice just south of town. Residents along the river saw the man drive into open water and immediately called 911, fire Chief Earl Simmons told CBC News on Friday.

"They could see the gentleman hanging onto a piece of ice at the edge of the open water and he was screaming for help," Simmons said.

Several agencies were alerted, including the Lac du Bonnet Fire Department, RCMP, and STARS air ambulance.

Two fire department rescuers wearing dry suits and using rescue ropes crawled out onto the ice and were able to pull the man from the water.

He was dragged back to safer ice, placed in a rescue basket and carried to a nearby residence along the river. Fire and EMS crews removed his wet clothing, wrapped him in blankets, and assessed his condition, Simmons said.

"He’d been in the water there for probably at least 25 minutes till we rescued him, so he was into hypothermia," he said.

STARS assessed him and determined he didn't require an airlift to Winnipeg, and he was taken ground ambulance to a hospital.

Simmons said the incident happened in a narrowing section of the Winnipeg River, where strong currents prevent stable ice from forming.

"The Winnipeg River has a really good flow to it, and there’s a lot of current," he said.

"There are spots with very little ice — or in this case, it was wide open."

Snowmobiling at night can be particularly dangerous, especially for riders unfamiliar with the area, because visibility is limited to only what headlights can illuminate, he said.

Simmons also warned that heavy snowfall can insulate ice, slowing freezing and creating slush ice that appears solid but is unsafe.

The fire department is urging the public to stay off rivers and unfamiliar waterways during winter and to use approved Snowmobilers of Manitoba (Snoman) trails once they are officially open.

Simmons credits the quick action of witnesses for helping save the man's life.

"This could have been a very, very different outcome," he said.