The sister of a woman who fell through the ice of Okanagan Lake over the weekend is revealing more details about the harrowing ordeal.
Sophie Ehiasson says her 18-year-old sister was walking their labrador retriever near Kalamoir Regional Park in West Kelowna on Saturday at around 3 p.m. when the dog ran onto the ice and fell through.
Ehiasson says her sister “army-crawled” onto the ice in an attempt to rescue her drowning dog, but fell through the ice herself. A bystander then ventured onto the ice to attempt a rescue of the pair.
“She was already half out of the ice when the guy came to rescue her and then he broke the ice and she fell back in. The dog was freaking out. It was standing on top of her trying to get out.”
“But she had watched a Tik Tok video on how to get out of ice. So she instructed the guy what to do to get out of the ice, and then he pulled her dog out,” she said.
"They were about 20-ish feet off the shoreline. But they couldn't touch [the ground] or anything... and they were just having a lot of trouble getting out. But thank God for that TikTok video."
Once everyone was out of the water, more bystanders on shore then helped warm up Ehiasson’s sister prior to the arrival of emergency crews.
The West Kelowna Fire Department said it was grateful for the “fast actions of the bystanders, no doubt increasing the likelihood of a successful outcome.”
“The bystanders ended up telling my mom that if there weren't people around, she would not have made it because she was very hypothermic, very white, lips blue,” Ehiasson said, adding her family is also very grateful for the help of the bystanders.
The bystander who also fell into the ice, described as a young man, is believed to be OK.
The dog was unharmed.
“She just wanted to go swimming,” Ehiasson said.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue issued the following safety tips regarding ice:
- Ensure their dogs and other pets are on a leash when around frozen bodies of water. Shoreline ice is weak and can, as in this case, result in accidents if your pet is exploring
- If you are planning on ice fishing, follow posted signage and know ahead of time what the safe thickness is for the activity prior to venturing onto the ice
- Let someone know your plan if you are going onto the ice and always wear a personal flotation device (PFD)
- If you witness someone falling through the ice, call 911 immediately, stay on solid ground, and continue to watch the person until trained and equipped personnel arrive to conduct the rescue
