BIG LAGUNA–Authorities rescued a skier Sunday after he fell through the ice on Big Laguna Lake, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said.
The rescue call was received by San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch for a male who was snow skiing and had fallen through the ice.
Sheriff’s A.S.T.R.E.A.1 in a Bell 407 helicopter responded from the east side of the Cuyamaca Mountains.
At noon, A.S.T.R.E.A.1 and A.S.T.R.E.A. 11 was requested through Monte Vista Fire Dispatch to assist with a possible hoist rescue due to the nature of the incident.
Shortly after arriving on scene, A.S.T.R.E.A.1 located the man in the middle of the lake where he was trying to keep his head above water and struggling to hold onto the ice. A.S.T.R.E.A.1 landed nearby and reconfigured the helicopter to use a LIFE 1 Rescue Quick Collar (floatation device) to rescue the man. A.S.T.R.E.A.1 hovered to the man and dropped the rescue quick collar to him where he was able to grab ahold of the self-inflating rescue strap. A.S.T.R.E.A.1 was able to hover and pull him across the ice approximately 75 yards to shore.
Hikers immediately assisted the man and stripped his wet clothing off of his body. Dry clothes from other hikers were put on the male who was showing signs of severe hypothermia. The man was loaded into the back of A.S.T.R.E.A.1 and flown to a nearby landing zone off of Sunrise Highway. He was transferred to R.E.A.C.H. 21, an air medivac helicopter, where he was flown directly to Sharp Grossmont Hospital.
