McClaskin managed to jump off the snowmobile, while the police officer and the patient went into the frigid waters, Marlin said.

When the snowmobile broke through, its front hung up on the ice on an angle, the rescue sled in the water, submerging the patient.

“(The patient) was in up to his neck and he couldn’t do anything, because he’s totally strapped in,” said Marlin.

The police officer in the water quickly cut the patient free of the basket.

“With the equipment we had on the second OPP snowmobile, we were able to tie off the officer and the patient and pull them on to the ice … but you couldn’t get traction because it was glare ice,” he said. “And it was pitch black dark … there’s not a light you can see anywhere … we pulled (the patient) right out of his pants and everything kept freezing as it was being pulled up out of the water … we wrapped up our patient as best we could with what we had and we sent the two OPP officers out on the remaining sled so he could get treatment, because he had been in the water.”

The officer was taken to the West Parry Sound Health Centre for treatment of hypothermia.

“He was definitely hypothermic,” said Britt and Area Fire Department Captain Ken Breadner of the officer. “When he got back he was just covered in ice and by then we had two ambulances there and they put him right in and started to work on him. We knew when (Marlin) radioed that they had fallen in the water that it was getting bad.”

Those at the staging area received the radio call that the snow machine had gone in the water at 1:40 a.m. Two more snow machines were dispatched to the area, but help seemed like it was a long time coming, Marlin said.

“I don’t know how long it was, but felt like a long time,” Marlin said.

While they waited for help to arrive, the group made it to shore, McClaskin and Marlin as well as the remaining police officer took turns lying with the patient to try and keep him as warm as possible.

Marlin scoured the shoreline for wood to start a fire, but with the recent rain, everything was saturated. He said he managed to start a small fire with bandages he’d had in his pockets.

Additionally, the patient’s family that stayed behind at the cabin were called and asked to bring out as many blankets as they could find.

At 3:40 a.m. the group headed back up the river on two snowmachines, the patient being towed behind in another sleigh with McClaskin riding with him to keep him warm. At 4 a.m. the patient was put in an ambulance with severe hypothermia and taken to Health Sciences North Hospital in Sudbury, his family following in a second ambulance.

“Training for it pays off when everyone comes home safe,” Marlin said. “But it could have been awful, for sure.”