ATV Goes Through the Ice on Lake Francis

On December 13th at 9:44 p.m., the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an ATV through the ice on Lake Francis – out from the lake access on 330th Street.  The driver, 20-year-old Nicholas Eckhoff of Dassel, said as they were coming back to shore, they hit a slushy area when the ATV broke through.  Both the driver and passenger, 20-year-old Gabrial Laplante of Litchfield, ended up in waist-deep water.  Both made it safely back to shore.  Both declined medical services.  Sheriff Brian Cruze reminds everyone that ice is never safe and that caution should be used during early ice.  As a general rule, ice should be about 4 inches to walk on, 5-to-8 inches to support an ATV, 9-to-12 inches to support a car and 13-to-17 inches to support a pickup truck. He says everyone venturing out on the ice should check ice thickness and stay safe.