Man Rescues Boy Who Fell Through Ice In South Lake Tahoe

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) — A Bay Area man is being called a hero after coming to the rescue of a teenager in South Lake Tahoe.

The boy fell through some ice at Lake Baron and was unable to save himself. Ian Whitmarsh and his family just happened to be walking in the area.

"These are all just cuts and scratches that I'm getting from the ice," said Whitmarsh, his hands covered with small bandages.

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His hands tell the story.

"Both of our blood was on jackets and things as medics are coming," said Whitmarsh.

It was a frantic two minutes. The only thing separating life and potential death for Whitmarsh and a 13-year-old boy was a thin sheet of broken ice.

"He has worse cuts than I do," said Whitmarsh, "it's both of us struggling to move backward as the ice is cutting us up."

Whitmarsh lives in Oakland and was visiting family in South lake Tahoe. On Wednesday, the family went for a walk near Lake Baron.

Whitmarsh says they saw the 13 year old walking his bike across the frozen water.

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"My sister-in-law yells out, screams, he's in the water," explained Whitmarsh.

He called for help, then heard the boy call out.

"He says 'help me please,'" explained Whitmarsh.

Hesitant at first, Whitmarsh makes a bold decision and goes onto the fragile ice.

"It was extremely scary," said Whitmarsh, "the whole time I was scared."

Whitmarsh grew up in Michigan and says he knew to lay flat on the ice to disperse his weight as he slid towards the boy.
Once Whitmarsh was able to pull him out of the water, the two slid back to shore.

"His voice when he said 'help me please' didn't sound good," said Whitmarsh, "it sounded like he was really struggling."

The boy was taken to the hospital with severe hypothermia. He was later released and is doing okay.

"It felt really powerful that he's alive and he's all right," said Whitmarsh with a sigh of relief.

Whitmarsh says the sheriff's department plans to give him a civilian medal for bravery in the coming days, but he's more thankful that everyone is okay.