Man grateful to first responders who rescued self, dog from icy lake disaster: ‘They were true heroes’
By Emily Maher
Click here for updates on this story
WELLESLEY, Massachusetts (WCVB) — Ed Berger was out for a walk in Wellesley with his two dogs Sunday evening when disaster struck.
One of Berger’s pups, Tommy, ran toward nearby Lake Waban and crashed through the ice.
“I think like any dog owner would probably do, I felt like I had to do something,” Berger said.
He shouted to someone nearby to call 911, and went in after Tommy, pushing a boat he could get into, if the ice happened to cave in.
“But you know, it didn’t go as planned,” Berger said. “I fell straight through and just pushed the boat forward. I didn’t have the opportunity to get in on time.”
Berger knew emergency crews were on the way, but time moved slowly.
“It was minutes, but it felt like hours. I mean, Tommy was so close, yet he was so far,” Berger said.
Wellesley fire raced to the lake, and police launched a drone overhead, knowing with Berger and Tommy in the icy water, it would be a race against time.
“Any more than 10, 15 minutes, you’re in serious trouble,” Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Corda said.
In drone video, you can see two firefighters in yellow water rescue suits tethered to the shore, crawling on the ice, grabbing Berger first and hoisting him out.
Minutes later, they went back for Tommy, safely bringing him back to shore.
Hours later, Berger and his dog are home safely and thankful to the first responders who stepped up.
“They absolutely saved the day, and they were true heroes for what they did,” Berger said.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
