TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — A man who fell through the ice on a frozen Michigan lake was rescued after a quick-thinking state police officer used the stranded man’s dog to get him rescue equipment and get him to safety.
Bystanders called 911 Thursday after a 65-year-old Traverse City man fell through ice-covered Lake Arbutus, state police said.
Body camera worn by Michigan State Police Motor Transport Officer Kammeron Bennetts captured the rescue, initially showing the man trapped in frigid waters with only his head and shoulders above the thin ice, and his dog standing beside him. side.
It shows Bennetts trying for the first time to throw a rescue disc tied to a rope at the man. When he fails, Bennetts asks the man to send him his dog.
“Send your cub here. Will he come to see me? she yells at the man, who responds that his dog’s name is Ruby.
“Ruby, come here! Come here, Ruby! Bennetts yells in the video before hissing at the canine, which runs toward him and arrives wagging its tail.
The officer ties the rescue disc to the dog’s collar and asks the man to call Ruby. When he returns to her owner, Bennetts tells the man to take the disc from Ruby and for her to start kicking her legs.
“Kick your feet to the surface!” he shouts, pulling the man onto the frozen surface of the lake and urging him to hold onto the puck as he continues to pull on the rope, dragging him towards safer ice near the lake’s edge. Bennetts and a local firefighter are then able to grab her arms to complete the rescue, with Ruby still tied to the rope.
State police said the man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment and later released. The agency applauded the rescue in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, praising Ruby in particular.
“What a good girl!!! Incredible ice rescue from the 7th District, MCO Bennetts. Creative thinking helped save a life!! EXCELLENT JOB MCO Bennetts and RUBY!! the tweet reads and adds: “Great teamwork and well done!”