Woman and Her Dog Survive Frozen Lake Fall Thanks to a Tree Branch
Winter weather comes with all kinds of hazards — something one Minnesotan learned the hard way in December.
Katie Shatusky was out walking with her dog on a frozen lake on December 29 when she unexpectedly fell through the ice. Shatusky was wearing snow shoes her husband had gifted her for Christmas.
"I was like, ‘Is this it?’" she told People of the moment she fell into Lake Orono. "The fact that I was able to stay calm and get myself out, that did help me. Had I been in the water any longer, [it] probably would've been a different story."
Katie Shatusky Had To Think Fast After Following Into A Frozen Lake
Shatusky, who also told the outlet she grew up near the lake, assumed she had decided to take a walk with her dog to try out the gift.
“I was going to walk around this island and stay close to shore,” she explained. According to Shatusky, most of the lake is shallow, and she thought since it was frozen, it "should be safe."
Things took a sharp turn after Shatusky stepped on what she thought was the bank and fell through the ice. She was forced to come up with a solution, and to do so quickly. Since the lake was relatively shallow, she wasn't completely submerged — and, fortunately, her dog was okay.
How A Tree Branch Helped Katie Shatusky Survive Falling Into A Frozen Lake
As she looked around for something that could help her, Shatusky spotted a branch. “This branch, I think, was an old tree,” she told People. "So when I fell in, I think what actually stopped me from going under is I hit all of these roots from this tree, and my snowshoe actually got stuck in the root system.”
Shatusky managed to hang on to her presence of mind, and began to work toward freeing herself. “It was probably seconds, but it felt like an eternity,” she admitted. “I think that was a point where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! Am I going to get out of here?’ So I finally got my foot free, and then I pulled myself up from that branch and got back on shore.”
Once she got out of the lake, Shatusky called her husband — who couldn't find her using the locator app Life360. She explained, "He was trying to figure out where I was because I was having a hard time trying to tell him how far out I was from the rental house that we are staying at."
Her husband coordinated with a neighbor, and the pair managed to find Shatusky and their dog, Loomis. She warmed up at home, but still couldn't shake the memory of being stuck in the lake.
"It was weird because it was so unexpected," she said. "I was just walking along and then all of a sudden I was just in the water."
Experts Recommend Staying Calm If You Fall Into Frozen Water
Winter weather comes with plenty of hazards, and experts recommend staying as calm as possible if you fall into a frozen body of water.
Per the state of Minnesota, the first thing you'll want to do is keep on your warm clothing. It can feel counterintuitive, especially since most coats are heavy, but they can also trap air and help you stay warm and afloat.
Experts also note that turning toward the direction you came from and extending your arms outward (especially if you have any tools, such as a screwdriver, that could penetrate the ice) can help when it's time to pull yourself up.
Once it's time to begin pulling yourself out, take it slow. Per KARE11, "If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward."