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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three teenagers fell through the ice on Utah Lake Jan. 22 and were rescued by two strangers, the boys said.
The teens said they decided to drive to Pelican Bay around 8:15 p.m.
“We were just inching our way out farther and farther from the dock,” Austin Weilacher said. “The ice seemed really thick, but the farther we walked, the thinner it got. I started to hear cracking.”
The teens started to back away slowly, but the ice collapsed and dragged two of the boys under the freezing water.
“My body sunk forward under ice that wasn’t broken yet,” Carson LaMeyer said. “I was stuck. I was pounding on the ice trying to break through.”
Shards of ice cut the boys as they struggled to keep their heads above water.
Weilacher said he tried to pull his friends from the lake, but the effort caused more ice to give way.
“Once I fell in, it was super hard to breathe,” he said. “It was so cold.”
The teens said no one was within sight at Pelican Bay, and they thrashed to make it to the dock.
“My life flashed before my eyes,” LaMeyer said. “It felt really long being under the ice. When we made it to the dock, we were very tired. I didn’t think I would have enough strength to get out. The dock is tall.”
The boys described being rescued by a man and a woman who pulled them to safety.
“I don’t know where they came from,” LaMeyer said. “I was so thankful they were there to get me out.”
When his mother, Cammy Patton, heard what happened, she was overcome with emotion. She was picking up another one of her children from a birthday party when the incident occurred.
“When I arrived home and saw all his cuts and scrapes from the ice, I wrapped Carson in an embrace and didn’t want to let go.” Patton said with tears in her eyes. “Some parents don’t get to hug their child again after a traumatic situation. But I did, and I am so grateful.”
I was stuck. I was pounding on the ice trying to break through.
–Carson LaMeyer
Patton wrote a Facebook post on the Saratoga Springs Community Link Page pleading for parents to remind their children to stay off the icy lake.
“Our kids were being dumb,” she said. “I am beyond thankful for those earthly angels who pulled them ashore.”
The three teens are recovering from minor nerve damage and poor circulation due to the cold exposure.
“He’s my boy,” Patton said with her hand over her heart. “I wanted to kick him – but hug him even more.”
The teens’ parents are calling the two unknown heroes who helped the boys out of the lake heaven-sent.
