Edited Release
01/30/23
A snowmobiler had to be rescued on the Coralville Reservoir Sunday afternoon after falling through the ice.
In a release from the City of North Liberty, their Fire Department and Johnson County Ambulance Service were dispatched just after 5pm for a report of a snowmobile and its rider that had fallen through the ice on the Reservoir. Arriving responders found a person in the water holding onto the ice in the reservoir just south of the Mehaffey Bridge Road bridge. Crews used ice rescue suits, a rapid deployment craft and ropes to execute the rescue.
The individual and a firefighter who was injured during the incident were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for evaluation.
The North Liberty Fire Department warns that ice has deteriorated and refreezes rapidly which creates potentially dangerous conditions for anglers, snowmobilers and skiers. Additionally, the reservoir is a river with a current, which causes the ice to be unstable for recreation purposes.
Emergency Services added that ice is never 100 percent safe, and users should take the time to properly assess the ice and have a survival plan before going out on it.