N.H. Boy Recalls Terrifying Icy Pond Rescue
DERRY, N.H. (CBS) -- Cody Morin stood on the shoreline of Hood Pond Friday afternoon, recounting for his deaf mother the mishap that nearly killed Cody and a friend at a spot now marked by the pair's hockey sticks.
"All we were thinking is 'We're probably gonna die,' cause it was really cold and we were about to sink," Cody said. "I was just thinking, 'I'm not going to be able to hold onto this much longer.'"
The two 12-year-olds came to the park to play some street hockey Thursday afternoon, but soon assessed the icy pond as much more fun.
Cody's mom was parked in the nearby lot, and didn't know about the youngster's change in plans. There was no trouble, until the puck slid more than 100 feet from the shore.
"I was gonna get it and I fell in first," Cody said.
Cody remembers the shock of the cold water, and his friend trying to help him.
"He reached his stick out for me to grab and pull me out, but it kind of backfired and he fell in too," Cody said.
The ending would clearly have been tragic, were it not for a man shooting hoops nearby who heard their screams and called 911.
"I'm just glad he called help for us," Cody said.
Firefighters were only a few streets away on another call, and a rescuer in a special suit was dragging the boys from the icy water just six minutes later.
"Another few seconds and that boy would've gone under the ice," Battalion Chief Jack Webb said.
Firefighter Jim Hoffman put on the rescue water suit and crawled on the ice out to the boys.
"The window to get them out before they going under was rapidly closing," said Hoffman.
He said one of the boys was clinging to the ice and the other was struggling to keep his head above water. Hoffman grabbed both boys and the crew on land pulled the group toward land using the rope attached to Hoffman's suit. He said at one point he got caught in the breaking ice and it ripped the protective hear.
Firefighters said they got the boys out of the water within six minutes of receiving the call.
The boys' body temperature had already dropped to the high 80's.
Instead, Cody and his buddy went to the hospital with hypothermia, and a lesson learned.
"Don't go on the ice at least until you know it's good enough," Cody said.
Meaning, until an adult has confirmed that ice is a solid four to six inches thick.
"I'm just real happy to be alive right now," Cody said.
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