We had a few days of winter here...about a week, actually. Maybe a bit more. The last several days have been warm and rainy... here's what it looks like out the kitchen window...
Meanwhile, here t
hey go, back across the ice toward the far bank.
(there were people crossing the foot bridge the whole time; 1 or 2 stopped and watched for awhile but most kept right on going...)
15 min later, a fire truck, police car and ambulance are on the scene, looking for them... (really, I'm impressed... you hear so many horror stories of emergency people not responding or taking forever to get there... given distance and traffic, they got there pretty quickly.)
the canal has some open water...
Sooo
this morning, just minding my own business, making my breakfast tea, look out the window (it rained a lot last evening and in the night...let's just remember)
There's a person... a male... a boy... somebody... walking out onto the ice... *blink, shake head*... look again... yup, there he is. His 2 buddies are sitting on the far bank, watching. He slowly walks out toward the middle, gets there and begins kicking at the ice... kick kick kick...
I get out my cereal and look out the window again...
He's lying down on the ice.... uh no... he's in the water... his red-jacketed buddy from the far bank is frantically scrabbling across the ice towards him.
I watch open-mouthed for a bit... Red-jacket Buddy is falling down...he's totally drunk... (the guy in the water proly is, too)... Red-jacket Buddy tries to doggy paddle on the ice out to his in-the-water buddy... I get a horrible feeling in my stomach, knees get weak... leave the window (I have no nerve when it comes to watching scary stuff and this suddenly qualifies as scary) and call Julie... What should I do? J says Do you want me to call the ambulance? Yes, I say...
Back to the window. Red-jacket Buddy is now in the water beside the first guy. They're both clawing at the ice, scrabbling, trying to get out. Third Buddy is cautiously moving out across the ice... he's carrying something ropey-looking.
I quit watching again.
Look again First Guy is out and being pulled away from the hole by Third Buddy. Red-jacket Buddy still flailing around. The other 2 finally manage to pull him out... I call J back- Uh, they're out, better call off the rescue squad. She tries but can't get through.
Meanwhile, here t
hey go, back across the ice toward the far bank.(there were people crossing the foot bridge the whole time; 1 or 2 stopped and watched for awhile but most kept right on going...)
here's their hole... he must have been totally drunk and a complete idiot to even try it... 
and just to the right of this pic? Something I just quit looking at... an ice fisherman placidly sitting there fishing...
You know what? People are insane.
And that fisherman never twitched when those clowns were in the water... Is this just business as usual?
You just about made it all the way through 2009 without a drunk story...almost.
ReplyDeletethat would mean you probably have 364 still in your hat...glad you pulled one out in the nik of time...
ReplyDeleteespecially for Duane.
Wow is all I can say. The view from the window is better than TV. LOL.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, this is a very sad story. Now I've got a hole in my stomach. Bah humbug.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is certainly not a funny story. I was feeling shaky and sick inside, too... It's pretty sad what alcohol does to a person's judgment. The mother of a girl I know back home drowned because of that- she was drunk and had an argument with someone; to 'get back at' them, she took their vehicle and drove out onto the ice of a lake...and went through... sober people don't do things like that...or are not as likely to...
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I'd say those "somebody's" are pretty lucky! and no I can't believe everyone just going about their business... sad. All of it!
ReplyDeletesome people can be so dumb! I bet you had to look twice just to make sure you were seeing what you thought you were seeing!
ReplyDeleteOh wow, Anita. People are crazy. And I can't believe people just kept on walking. Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI did have to look twice...and then I quit looking. It's a good thing I wasn't out there because I proly would have run out onto the ice, too, which really wouldn't have been a good thing to do. I have a hard time thinking straight in situations like this...
ReplyDeleteThe water in that canal is usually around knee deep so that is one reason most didn't worry too much!
ReplyDeletewell if you're drunk and get chilled you can drown in a mud puddle... besides, the water was definitely up to their necks.
ReplyDeleteso there!
:)