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DRAPER — A Draper man hopes his experience falling through the ice at East Canyon Reservoir can be an example for others.
Brent Cochrane was pulled from the frigid water after falling through a thin spot on the ice Saturday near the north shore of the reservoir.
He and three friends had been fishing on the ice throughout the morning when he said they noticed the ice near the hole they drilled was melting.
As they walked back toward the shore, Cochrane fell through. A ranger said the water in that part of the reservoir was 15 to 20 feet deep.
“I’ve always heard you lay on your back and kick your feet so you can get back up on the ice backwards," he said. "It just kept breaking every time I’d try to lift myself up, so I figured I’d just go all the way to the shore if I had to."
Another member of the group tried to get to Cochrane but fell through in waist-deep water. Cochrane said he urged his friend not to come closer while he tried to get himself out of the water.
Another person called the East Canyon State Park office. Ranger Chris Haramoto answered and rushed down the hill to help. He tossed a rope to Cochrane.
“My hands were so frozen, it just kept pulling the rope out of my hands, so then he tied it in a loop and threw it out to me and I put it under my arms,” Cochrane said. “They pulled me out, took four of them, I said, ‘They got the biggest sucker all day!’"
Jason Dolan and his family were renting a cabin along the shore. They helped Cochrane inside and warmed him up until paramedics arrived and checked him out.
Cochrane said none of the members of the group brought a rope. Haramoto said people heading out onto the ice should go with a partner and bring ropes and safety spikes, just in case someone falls through.
Cochrane said this was the second time he has escaped a life-threatening situation. In the ’80s, he said he survived a motorcycle crash while not wearing a helmet. He hopes people learn from his experiences.
“My main purpose of life was to teach people what not to do, and I think that held up yesterday,” Cochrane joked.
Cochrane wasn't the only one to take a plunge this weekend.
Earlier Saturday morning, three people riding two snowmobiles across the frozen Strawberry Reservoir hit thin ice and fell into the water. All three were able to get out and call for help with no injuries.
On Sunday, a woman fell in the frozen pond at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, according to a Facebook post from the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
The woman had been chasing after a ball on the water, and made it more than halfway there when she fell through, according to Salt Lake Fire Capt. Adam Archuleta. The woman was waist deep in water, he said, and denied medical attention after she was rescued by fire crews.
The Utah Division of Natural Resources said ice needs to be about four inches thick to support a single person, and five inches thick to support a group of people.
