An ATV driver was seriously injured and another rescued unhurt after going through the ice in separate incidents this weekend, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
A Faribault, Minn., resident was hospitalized Friday night after flipping their ATV and landing under it in Greenwood Township, northwest of Tower. Authorities said the driver, who was not wearing a helmet, was trying to navigate a steep ditch on County Road 77 when the ATV slid downhill and turned over.
First responders from Greenwood and Bois Forte helped the driver, who was flown to a Duluth-area hospital by North Memorial Air helicopter. Officials with the Greenwood and Tower fire departments and the Virginia Ambulance service assisted.
Early Saturday morning, a 64-year-old from the Babbitt, Minn., area went through the ice on the North Bay of Birch Lake when his ATV slid into open water. He was rescued uninjured with help from Babbitt firefighters and the person who reported the incident. The ATV was later recovered.
Sheriff’s Office authorities, Babbitt police and the St. Louis County Volunteer Rescue squad helped with the rescue.
