Superior man rescues himself after falling through lake ice on snowmobile

A Superior man rescued himself after falling through the ice on Rice Lake while riding his snowmobile.

On Sunday around 1:03 a.m., 911 dispatchers received a report from a person who said their friend called saying he had gone through the ice with his snowmobile. This happened on Rice Lake north of Duluth.

Multiple area first responders arrived to the scene. An unoccupied vehicle was located in the parking lot that had an empty snowmobile trailer attached.

The owner of the vehicle was reached by phone and it was confirmed that he had in fact broken through the ice earlier. The man said he was operating a snowmobile on the ice while towing a sled full of ice fishing gear.

The 35 year old male from Superior rescued himself and walked back to shore where he called a family member for a ride. The man had been picked up and was brought home without any injuries prior to the 911 call.

According to St. Louis County authorities, it’s unknown if the snowmobile and fishing gear are completely submerged. Responders did not access the lake ice after learning there was no active emergency.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office reminds everyone that ice conditions vary from lake to lake, and to use extreme caution if choosing to venture out onto the ice.