Drivers escape injury as two recreation vehicles plunge through ice in eastern Ontario

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Published Dec 29, 2024  •  1 minute read

Ontario Provincial Police cruiser file photo. POSTMEDIA

Frontenac OPP says motorized snow machines fell through thin ice in two separate instances on Friday.

Police were first called to Shabomeka Lake in North Frontenac, about 100 km north of Kingston and 200 km southwest of Ottawa, after residents reported snowmobile tracks leading to a large hole in the ice.

“An investigation by officers located the rider at his residence and confirmed that there were no other passengers unaccounted for,” OPP said in a news release.

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The snowmobile was approximately seven metres from the shore when it crashed through the ice, but the rider was able to escape the sinking machine and made his way back to a dock unharmed.

The snowmobile remains on the bottom of the lake in three metres of water, police say.

That same day, Frontenac OPP were called to an area of Sydenham Lake in South Frontenac Township for a side-by-side vehicle that crashed through the ice and sunk to the bottom of the lake.

Police say the rider was able to escape the sinking machine and made his way back to shore. He was described as freezing cold and soaking wet, but unharmed.

The machine went through the ice approximately thirty-five metres out from the shoreline. It is not known how deep the lake is in that location.

In both cases, Ontario’s Ministry of Environment has been notified, police say. The machine’s owners are responsible for removing them from the water.

“The extreme fluctuations between warm and cold temperatures means no ice is safe ice,” OPP said.

OPP shared safety tips for recreation with winter snow machines:

• Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to arrive.
• Keep your gas tank filled.
• Check the weather, trail and ice conditions before you leave.
• Wear appropriate clothing to prevent hypothermia, like a floater or survival suit.
• Regularly Inspect your snowmobile to make sure it is in good mechanical condition.
• Bring a first-aid kit and a survival kit.
• Stay on trails and use proper care and control.
• Always ride sober. 

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