Man dies after pickup truck crashes through lake ice north of Haliburton: OPP

A man has died after the vehicle he was driving went through the ice on a lake north of Haliburton on Saturday afternoon, OPP say.

Central Region OPP Sgt. Jason Folz says emergency crews were called to the area of Bushwolf Lake, about 18 kilometres north of the village of Haliburton, around 4 p.m.

According to police, the 57-year-old man was driving a pickup truck with a plow and was clearing snow for a track when the vehicle broke through the lake ice.

Fire crews from Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al along with Haliburton Highlands OPP responded to the call, but efforts to rescue the man were unsuccessful, Folz said.

The occupant was recovered from the submerged truck by firefighters and taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased, OPP said.

The crash remains under investigation. The victim’s name has yet to be released.

“The OPP wants to remind those venturing onto the ice that no ice is safe ice and to do so cautiously,” OPP issued in a statement on Monday morning.

In a statement, Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt said four firefighters suffered minor injuries when their vehicle crashed after returning from the water rescue. She said the community is in shock over the death.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the man who perished in the initial ice and water call. Calls like these are heartbreaking and affect a wide range of folks and families in a small community,” she said.

1:57 Know before you go; ice should be 10 cm thick before walking on it