Rescue on Middle River

Ice skater who fell through ice saved after 30 minutes in water

A 55-year-old skater was rescued from Middle River yesterday morning after he fell through the ice and endured about 30 minutes in the frigid water, Baltimore County fire officials said.

Rescuers who borrowed a civilian's rowboat pulled the man out near where Hopkins Creek meets the river, said Battalion Chief James Devers. He did not have the name of the victim, who was in guarded condition at Franklin Square Hospital Center after being treated for hypothermia. A second skater knelt on the ice during the rescue and then skated off.

A Maryland State Police helicopter attempted a basket rescue after the victim was in the rowboat but abandoned the effort because there was too much downwash from the rotors, Devers said. Instead, a fireboat from the Bowleys Quarters Volunteer Fire Department managed to pull the rowboat to shore.

"We had a lot of different units, a lot of different equipment, responding to the location for all the possibilities of getting this person out of the icy water," he said.

Timothy Cahill, a real estate agent who lives nearby, said he was having coffee with his wife when he looked out the window and saw a figure on the ice. He said he called 911 after seeing an upraised arm.