Westford Man Falls Through Ice Twice
BOSTON (CBS) - A Westford man escaped a dangerous situation when he crashed into a pond while walking on the ice with his son.
Mike Fitzpatrick broke through the ice on Mill Pond in Westford twice during a winter walk with his son Nick on Thursday night.
The two decided to follow some animal tracks onto the pond that they believed was frozen solid.
After falling through, Fitzpatrick instructed his son to get off the ice in fear that he could fall through trying to help.
The elder Fitzpatrick did break through the layer of ice twice, but was able to pull himself safely to shore.
"Your survival instincts kick in right away. You have to be calm," said Fitzpatrick.
A passerby who witnessed the incident offered them a ride home - unaware that rescuers were already on the way to the scene.
"I saw the fire truck go by and then I saw the flatbed fire truck with the snowmobile on the back and I'm like 'they're going after us and we're going home,'" Fitzpatrick said.
Police warn residents to use extra caution when it comes to thin ice.
"Especially if you don't know the body of water, stay off the ice," said Westford Police Lt. Ron Paulauskas.
Fitzpatrick was checked out by paramedics at the scene and considers himself lucky that the situation did not turn tragic.
