Two Pawnee County Children Rescued From Frozen Pond

Two Pawnee County children fell through the ice at a rural pond Thursday morning and live. Emergency officials estimate the young children were in the freezing cold water for 15 to 20 minutes, before

Thursday, February 1st 2007, 3:45 pm

By: News On 6

Two Pawnee County children fell through the ice at a rural pond Thursday morning and live. Emergency officials estimate the young children were in the freezing cold water for 15 to 20 minutes, before they were rescued.

News on 6 reporter Ashli Sims talked with the rescuers.

Lori Canady says it all started with a frantic 9-year-old ringing her door bell. â€œI came to the door and he was just panicking and hollering that his brother and sister were in the water." Canady says the kids live a couple of houses away. They've played at the pond before, but this time 7 year old Jacob Clark tried to walk across the frozen pond. The ice gave way and he fell in. His 5 year old sister, who tried to rescue him, also landed in the freezing cold water.

Lori Canady says â€œby the time I got down here they were right at their chest hanging on to the ice there you know.â€ She says she sent her 13 year old son Kegan to get help and told her 15 year old nephew Daniel Johnston to look for something in the wood pile that might reach the kids. â€œA piece of wood or something over here in the wood pile to try to get something to them. Because the more they moved the more the ice broke and I couldnâ€™t get to them. And my fear was they were going to go under and be under the ice," said Lori Canady.

Daniel stumbled upon a rubber strip which became a life line. She says, â€œand I gave it to the little girl first and she grabbed a hold of it and pulled her up on the ice and pulled her to me and stepped out a few feet grabbed her and handed her over to my son."

Canady says the 7 year old was harder to reach. â€œSo finally jumped in and Daniel was there with me. He got a few feet in and I had a few more feet in and we grabbed a hold of him best we could and pulled him out."

All three realize how close they came to tragedy and Lori wants to warn everyone of this winter time danger. â€œI tell my kids all the time the ice you never know how thick it is you donâ€™t know if itâ€™s going to hold you better not take that chance."

The family of the two children who fell into the pond was to upset to go on camera. The News on 6 did talk to the children's mother on the phone. She says both kids are doing fine, but she has to monitor them for pneumonia. And she's very grateful to the rescuers.