Man and his dog rescued after falling through ice on Lake Michigamme

MICHIGAMME TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJMN) – A man and his dog are safe after falling through the ice on Friday evening.

Marquette County Central Dispatch received a call after 4 p.m. on April 12 for a man in distress trying to rescue the family dog after it fell through the ice on Lake Michigamme.

56-year-old Thad Cooper was looking for his dog when he noticed the dog’s head sticking out of the ice over 100 yards from shore. Cooper attempted to rescue his dog with a kayak, but when reaching the dog, he fell into the water. Cooper was not able to self-rescue and remained in the water.

Marquette County Sheriff’s Office Dive and Technical Rescue Teams were dispatched to the scene along with Michigamme-Spurr Fire Department, Michigamme-Spurr First Responder Team, Michigan State Police, and the Michigan DNR. The U.S. Coast Guard and Alger County Sheriff’s Office also responded.

Due to the deteriorating ice, rescuers had extreme difficulty reaching Cooper and his dog. A sheriff’s office dive team member was able to reach Cooper with a floatation board secured to the shore with a rope. They were then pulled back to shore by supporting personnel. The dog was rescued after Cooper was brought to shore. It is estimated that Cooper and his dog were in the water for an hour and 25 minutes.

Rescue personnel also had to be extracted out of the water. Two first responders were transported and treated for hypothermia. And additional first responder sought treatment for a laceration sustained in a fall through the ice.

UP Health System-EMS transported Cooper and two of the first responders for treatment at UP Health System-Bell Memorial.

Marquette County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public that all ice is unsafe this time of the year, and no one should venture out onto it for any reason.

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