Man dies after vehicle crashes through ice on Lake Bemidji on Christmas Day
A man died after the vehicle he was in crashed through the ice on Lake Bemidji.
The Beltrami County Sheriff's Office says it was called to the lake near Diamond Point Park around 5:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.
It was there they found that a woman who was in the vehicle had been able to make it out of the water on her own, but that a man from the vehicle was still in the water, and was pulled out by a Bemidji firefighter in a cold water immersion suit.
The man was taken to Sanford Hospital in Fargo, where he was later pronounced dead.
It's not clear what the circumstances are that led to the vehicle being on the ice, nor who was driving.
However, the sheriff's office says that the area where the vehicle went through is adjacent to the Bemidji State University Campus and is in 8-10 feet of water.
It notes that the location was barricaded and the ice is unstable "much like many areas lakes." The ice thickness is estimated at 4-5 inches in that area, which is well below the recommended 8-12 inches for a car or small pickup.
