Deputies, firefighters pull hunter out of ice

NORTH LIBERTY - Authorities say a hunter is lucky to be alive after falling through ice and being stuck in chest deep water Thursday morning.

Johnson County Sheriff's Office Capt. Gary Kramer said the sheriff's office and North Liberty and Swisher fire departments worked together to pull a man out of the icy water. Kramer said the man, 25-year-old Jared Bushell, of Hills, was goose hunting in the Hawkeye Wildlife Management area, an expansive forest and wetlands area bisected by the Iowa River, when he fell through the ice. The water only went up to the Bushell's chest, but he was unable to get himself back on the ice, Kramer said.

Fortunately, Bushell had a cellphone and was able to call for help. The call came in at approximately 10:40 a.m., Kramer said.

Kramer said authorities responded to the Greencastle bridge on the south side of the river, but were initially unable to find Bushell. Wearing protective gear, deputies and firefighters were able to find the man's tracks and followed them until they located the hunter. They were then able to successfully pull him on to the ice.

It was 11:42 a.m. when authorities announced Bushell was out of the water, Kramer said. Kramer said unless someone knew to look for him, it's likely no one would have known he was in the ice, a situation that could have turned fatal.

'Thank goodness he had a cellphone to contact us,” Kramer.

North Liberty Fire Department Capt. Chris Kochanny said the temperature of the water was likely at or below freezing Thursday. At those temperatures, hypothermia can set in within minutes. Kochanny said Bushell was helped by his young age, his insulated waders, a warm hat and his cellphone.

Even with his protective equipment, Bushell was beginning to feel the effects of hypothermia when authorities found him, Kochanny said.

'He did mention he was starting to lose some feeling in his feet,” he said. 'However, once we got him out of the water and into the ambulance and warmed up, he was released at the scene.”

Kochanny said four inches of ice is needed for safe walking or ice skating, something that recent temperatures have not made possible. Even when the ice is safe enough to traverse on, Kochanny said people should not go out alone and should wear protective equipment, such as a life jacket.