RCMP rescue elderly ice road driver in medical distress

A 77-year-old man rescued by three Turnor Lake RCMP officers after his vehicle became stuck in the snow on an ice road on Frobisher Lake and started to fill with carbon monoxide has been taken to hospital in La Loche in serious but stable condition.

According to RCMP, officers received a report of a sudden death in a vehicle on a Frobisher Lake ice road at about 7:25 p.m. on Friday. Frobisher Lake is east of La Loche and Turnor Lake.

Three officers, Const. Kimberly Lam, Const. Karlee Keewatin-smith and Const. Colin Marco were assisted by local guides in their search for the vehicle. The officers looked for half-hour, “driving more than 13 kilometres across the lake in the snow and woods,” locating the vehicle at 8:07 p.m., RCMP said in a media release.

At the scene, they discovered the man was still alive and in medical distress. The officers found that the vehicle’s tailpipe was blocked after it became stuck and carbon monoxide was filling the interior, RCMP said in the release.

The officers found that the man’s foot was injured and he told them he was dizzy and confused, not able to walk and was very cold.

RCMP said the officers picked the man up, put him in their guide’s vehicle and kept him warm to prevent hypothermia. They asked EMS to meet them at a medical clinic in Birch Narrows. There, medical staff kept the man warm and looked after his injuries before he was taken to the hospital in La Loche.