Sheriff: 2 Vehicles Break Through Ice On Lake Minnetonka
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police are warning drivers tonight about the dangers of thin ice after two cars broke through Lake Minnetonka in separate incidents.
They happened on opposite ends of the lake. There were two people in each car. All four are okay Wednesday night.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's office says the first vehicle -- an SUV with two teenage boys from Edina inside -- went through thin ice on the channel between Gray's Bay and Wayzata Bay at about 5:40 p.m. The passengers were rescued by the county's water patrol.
The second vehicle -- a Ford Focus with a 36-year-old man and a 52-year-old man inside -- went through the ice at Zimmerman's Pass in Phelps Bay at about 7 p.m.
The men were able to escape the fully-submerged Ford Focus, and were found by crews a block away from the scene about a half hour later.
The sheriff's office says both parties drove right past "Thin Ice" signs.
Hennepin County says the thickness of the ice on Lake Minnetonka is below average because of the mild winter we have had.
Officials say that, while people may be allowed to drive on other areas of the lake, it simply isn't safe.
"If you're going to go on the ice, drive during the daytime, watch for the 'Thin Ice' signs, don't ignore them," Lt. Kent Vnuk of the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. "Check your ice depth constantly as you're driving along."
Vnuk said the drivers in these incidents will likely have to pay a fine. They may also face criminal charges for ignoring the warning signs.
He said that if your car goes through the ice, it's going to cost you $6,000 to $8,000 to remove it.