Two escape after ATV falls through ice in Stearns County

Two people safely escaped after an ATV fell through the ice at Two Rivers Lake on Saturday in Holding Township.

According to Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, at 4:58 p.m., officers responded to a report of a side-by-side ATV that had fallen through the ice on the north end of Two Rivers Lake in Holding Township.

Cory Hanson, 42, and Lori Hanson, 44, of Avon, had been operating their 2017 Polaris Ranger side by side ATV on the far north end of the lake. While in the area, they broke through a section of thin ice. Both were able to escape the sinking ATV and make it safely out of the water to a nearby icehouse.

The ATV is submerged in what is believed to be approximately 27 feet of water, said the sheriff’s office.

The area had recently had open water and, not long ago, frozen over due to waterfowl in the area. Hanson has made arrangements with a private tow service to have the ATV removed from the lake.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone to be cautious on lake ice and be sure of ice thickness in areas they may be traveling on.

According to the sheriff’s office, multiple lakes like Two Rivers, Big Fish and Middle Spunk have had recent waterfowl activity that would potentially cause areas of thin ice.