Authorities in Maine are issuing warnings about ice safety to residents after a father died saving his son on a frozen pond. On January 26, at around 6:30 a.m., 51-year-old Kevin Howell and his 4-year-old son were crossing a frozen pond when the two of them fell in.
Howell was able to get his son out of the water and told the boy to go get his mother. The boy did as he was told and walked the 1/3 mile back home.
Howell’s wife went looking for him once her son got home.
According to the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office, the boy ran home and told his mother that his father had fallen into Etna Pond. The mom instructed her son to stay home. She called 911 and then rushed to the pond to help her husband. On her way out of the house, she grabbed an anchor and rope. When she got to Etna Pond, she secured the rope and went to help her husband.
She also fell through the ice.
Once she was on the ice, the mother fell through as well, and was struggling to get out. Thankfully, Detective Jordan Norton heard the mother’s 911 call and made his way to the area. He saw the mother in the water and started crawling toward her, holding on to the rope she had secured.
He was able to pull the woman from the ice and get her to shore. Later, Norton looked for Howell but there was “no trace of him,” according to the press release.
A team of divers came to search for Howell’s body.
Norton took the mother back to her son. Then, six Maine Warden Service divers searched the area for Howell and found his body after about 20 minutes, CBS News reported. One state diver was also there to assist. Howell’s body was recovered from the pond at around 2 p.m.
This is not the first time this year going out on the ice has resulted in a dangerous situation in the area. Five people, including three children, were rescued from Moose Pond in Denmark, Maine, after their UTV fell through the ice and neighbors heard their screams in the dark, WGME reported.
Maine Game Warden offered tips for those going out on the ice.
Officials are warning residents to be prepared if they plan on going out on the ice. They advise using proper tools like picks of life and ice chisels. Maine Game Warden Emerson Duplissie-Cyr, told WGME these tools help people to get out of the water easily and efficiently. He said the ice chisel is particularly helpful in checking the depth of the ice. He noted it’s important to be “continuously checking every few feet, just because where the ice is at one spot can change drastically.”
The town of Carmel remembers Howell fondly.
The people of the town of Carmel remember Howell — who was the town manager — fondly. Dan Fry, chairman of the Carmel Board of Selectmen, told News Center Maine that Howell’s last sacrifice was consistent with his character.
“That’s Kevin,” he said. “He loved his family, he loved his community and he would always work his hardest and do his best for those people.”