Minnesota ice fishermen rescued by fellow angler after truck falls into frozen lake
Police credited Chad Schmidt's actions with potentially saving two lives
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It’s probably the most impressive catch Lake Traverse has ever seen.
An ice fisherman from Dumont, Minnesota, managed to rescue two other anglers earlier this week after their pickup truck fell through the ice on Lake Traverse.
Chad Schmidt claims he was out on the lake in his fish house on Monday evening when he "heard something out of the ordinary" that turned out to be the surface of the ice giving way to a nearby pickup truck, police say. Seeing the truck and its two inhabitants sinking into the lake, Schmidt then ran to his own truck, grabbed a tow strap and tossed it to the two men in the icy water.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}COLORADO FISHERMAN FILMED RIDING ICE DOWN RIVER
"Schmidt was able to pull both Pete Katalinas, 56, and Lloyd Nelson, 72, to safety," wrote the Traverse County Sheriff’s Office in a press release issued by Sheriff Trevor J. Wright.
Chad Schmidt claims he was out on the lake in his fish house on Monday evening when he "heard something out of the ordinary" that turned out to be the surface of the ice giving way to a nearby pickup truck. (iStock)
"If it wasn't for Chad, we would have had one or maybe two fatalities," Sheriff Wright said in a statement shared with Fox News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both of the rescued fishermen refused medical treatment on the scene, but were confirmed to be "doing fine" a day after the incident. Nelson did admit, however, that he didn't have "too much [energy] left" to stay afloat before Schmidt arrived to rescue him, according to Sheriff Wright.
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The men had also explained to authorities that, prior to sinking, they saw an ice heave when they were driving offshore, and mistakenly believed it could support the weight of their truck, KARE reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Unfortunately, two dogs that were in the pickup with Katalinas and Nelson did not survive the incident. Authorities are making arrangements to retrieve their truck from the bottom of the lake.