Man rescued after falling through ice at Prairie Creek

MUNCIE -- Emergency personnel on Thursday afternoon rescued a man who fell through the ice while fishing in Prairie Creek Reservoir.

Make that fishing in the middle of Prairie Creek Reservoir.

Firefighters from Liberty Township and Muncie teamed up to rescue the man, who was in the water for something approaching an hour.

A Liberty Township firefighter, on a Muncie Fire Department ice sled, made his way to the victim, who was clinging to the ice.

After several more minutes, the sled and both men were returned to shore with the use of a long, red rope, attached to the sled and pulled by a conservation officer's SUV.

A Muncie police officer at the scene estimated the fisherman was 350 yards from the shore when he fell through the ice.

The victim, reported to be in his mid 60s, appeared alert and conscious at the scene. Once he was on dry land, firefighters removed the man's wet clothing — save for his underwear and socks — and wrapped him in a blanket.

He was then placed on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and driven away by Delaware County EMS personnel. The man — whose name had not been officially released — was being treated in the emergency room of IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital on Thursday evening.

Maggie Cox, officer manager at Prairie Creek, said another fisherman on the reservoir Thursday told her he was "really scared" returning to land, fearful the ice was going to break beneath him.

Temperatures on Thursday afternoon were in the mid to upper 50s.

That man's comments prompted Cox to keep an eye out on two fishermen who remained on the ice.

One of those men left, and Cox then realized she couldn't see the other fisherman.

"I knew the guy's car was still here," she said. "And I saw his stuff was still out there. So I came out... and I started hearing somebody screaming for help. 'Please, help me!'"

Cox said she then raced back into the office and called 911.

Muncie Fire Chief Eddie Bell and his Liberty Township counterpart, Randy Ried , each had kind words for the other's department.

"Liberty did a heck of a job," Bell said. "We're just glad to be able to help."

Ried — who said Thursday's rescue was apparently the first of its kind for his department — said Bell's firefighters "led this whole process from start to finish."

Ried noting the fisherman was "alert and conscious and talking" upon reaching the shore.

"Now we're just waiting for him to warm up," he said.

Contact news reporter Douglas Walker at (765) 213-5851. You can also follow him on Twitter @ DouglasWalkerSP .