Rec Dept Worker Falls Through Tarrytown Lake Ice

Around 11 am Thursday with temperatures in the teens, a worker riding across the lakes on a small tractor broke through the ice he was beginning to plow for skating.

"You see what happens," Tarrytown Recreation Department director Joe Arduino said, referring to a number of incidents last year when officers fined EF students for walking out on the ice.

Though they had tested the depth of the ice in several spots, Arduino said the vehicle hit an area not far out from the Skate Shack and parking lot that has a spring under it.

Clearly this will mean no skating. "It's not ready," Arduino said.

The worker, who has been with the department for about 20 years, was rescued immediately by his own men nearby, who are trained in such rescues and had a yellow board on hand.

He was already at the shore, witness Bruce Wiacek said, when the emergency vehicles - and a slew of them from Emergency Ops to fire trucks and Greenburgh EMS - arrived moments later.

Wiacek, of Briarcliff Manor, was driving by and pulled over when he noticed the tractor traversing the lake, finding it interesting enough to watch. It was coming toward the shack from the other side of the lake when both driver and vehicle cracked through the ice.

The worker, whom officials did not want to name, was rushed to Phelps Memorial Hospital by ambulance around 11:20, where Arduino and others would be going to check on his condition. Everyone did seem to agree he would be fine since they got him out of the water so quickly.

Firefighter Walter Ferguson said he happened to be driving by and came upon "all the action at the skate shack. There was excellent coordination between all emergency responders--police--fire--EMS. It was handled in a swift and efficient manner and had a positive outcome."

A woman reported on Facebook's 10591 page that she had talked to the man's girlfriend. She reported to the group, "he's shook up but he's okay and will be home before long."

Moments later, around 3:20 p.m., she reported back that he was indeed home. "Just saw him get home. He's fine. Just a little beat up he said. Thank God."

Police had taped off the area and officials, as well as media crews with hovering helicopters overhead, were still there as of 1:30 p.m. Responders were now trying to rescue that tractor.

And today in Greenwich Patch: Two teens were rescued by Greenwich Fire Department crews after falling through the ice of a brackish pond on Willowmere Avenue in Riverside, CT. This was one of three such incidents in CT on the same day, with a total of four people falling through the ice.