BARRIE -- Emergency crews had to pull a 60-year-old man to safety on Saturday after his ATV plunged through the ice on the Holland River.
York Regional Police and Georgian Fire were called to the area around 1 p.m. near Bathurst Street and South Road after the ATV hit a pocket of soft ice.
"It gave way and his ATV sunk, and the gentleman ended up in the water," says York Regional Police Constable Matthew Goold.
"He got himself back up on the ice, and then he didn't move. We advised him to stay where he was to ensure that he didn't break through again and disappear from sight."
According to police say he was in the water for about 25 minutes.
Police say luckily he was wearing a PFD and was carrying a cell phone, allowing him to call police desperate for help.
"There was no one else in the area; no one would have come to his aid," says Goold, "he didn't see anybody else; no one passed him. So having that cell phone for him was critical."
Around the region warmer temperatures are breaking up the shorelines, and now many ice hut operators have decided to start pulling their ice huts off the lake.
Police are once again reminding people of the risks out on the lakes right now, and are urging people to take the risks seriously for the rest of the ice fishing season.
"We're not recommending people venture out on to the ice," says Goold, "but if they do so choose to continue their fishing season to absolutely keep safety first and foremost."
