Local man dies after ATV goes through ice on Buck Lake

Jeff Green | Mar 15, 2017

Darrell Green, 61, a nearby resident, drowned after his ATV went through the ice on the East Bay of Buck Lake, north of Perth Road Village on Sunday, March 11.

A family friend of the deceased became concerned when Green did not arrive to meet him at a certain location on Buck Lake. The friend began to search near the shorelines around the route that Green would have taken and observed a partly submerged ATV and a helmet in a narrow section of the Lake. Nearby this location South Frontenac Fire and Rescue recovered Green's body from the icy water.

The Frontenac OPP do not suspect any foul play.

This latest drowning occurred just one day after two men drowned in nearby Big Rideau Lake near Westport in the Township of Rideau Lakes.

Constable Roop Sandhu, of the Frontenac OPP, said that the ice conditions on all lakes in the region are particularly unpredicatble this season, due to the mix of warm and cold temperatures. Sandhu put out a release warning about unsafe ice conditions on February 25th, during the height of an unusual February warm spell, and  said this week that the warning has stayed in effect.

“Ice is constantly changing in response to weather and water conditions and is effected by many different factors including thickness, currents, age of the ice, pressure cracks and snow cover,” the release said.

At the time, OPP East Region Manager of Traffic and Marine, Inspector Paul Bedard said "The OPP is committed to saving lives on Ontario's highways, trails, and waterways through the reduction of preventable injury and death. This ice warning applies during any prolonged period of thaw or rain, and late in the season after ice begins to deteriorate from milder temperatures."

At this time the OPP has reiterated the warning that to stay off the ice, even with this week’s colder temperatures.

“The ice is very unpredictable right now,” said Sandhu.