SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — A professor from Oakland helped save a young man’s life from an icy frozen lake in South Lake Tahoe, fire officials said Friday.
Ian Whitmarsh, who is also an associate professor at UCSF School of Medicine, said he and his family were taking a walk near Lake Baron when they saw the boy walking his bike across the frozen lake on Wednesday. When he looked away for a moment, his sister-in-law suddenly screamed that the boy had fallen through into the ice waters.
Whitmarsh, who was visiting family in the area, ran to the shore closest to the boy after his wife told him he had to do something.
“When I started running I didn’t know what I was going to do,” Whitmarsh said.
After seeing that the boy was struggling to get out, the boy called out “help me, please.”
Fearing for his own safety, Whitmarsh said he could only see his head bobbing in the water, and knew to belly crawl on the ice toward him, to help distribute his weight. When he reached the thin ice, he held out his hand, which the boy grabbed and the two struggled as he helped pull him out. By that time, however, the boy seemed confused and disoriented, and wasn’t talking much, Whitmarsh said.
His wife, on the phone with emergency personnel, was told to tell her husband not to get on the ice. But by then, Whitemarsh was already there, risking his own life.
His wife, Jennifer Muskopf, then belly crawled toward the two to also help pull the kid toward the shore. Another man came over and gave him his coat as the adults helped take off his wet clothing. At that point, his body was so cold, he wasn’t even shivering, Whitmarsh said.
“We all just kind of hugged him, to keep him warm,” he said.
The boy kept repeating “I’m so stupid.” Firefighters and paramedics arrived soon after and took him to the hospital with severe hypothermia. The boy fully recuperated.
“We were very fortunate today, this situation could have easily been tragic,” said Fire Marshal Brad Zlendick.
On Thursday, Lake Valley Fire Protection District held a full ice rescue drill at Lake Baron at Tahoe Paradise Park, said firefighter Matt Nerdahl. Whitmarsh and the boy reunited, along with firefighters. The boy, soft-spoken, thanked Whitmarsh for saving his life, he said.
El Dorado County Deputy Sheriff Greg Almos warned of walking across frozen areas. People only have minutes before hypothermia takes over in icy waters, making it likely to slip below the surface of the ice. At that point, people can become disoriented and cold water drowning is imminent.
