Montana Man Drowns When Utility Vehicle Falls Through Ice

Tragedies like these remind us that frozen bodies of water may not always be as stable as they appear.

David Sherman of KRTV in Billings originally reported on this unfortunate accident. During an ice fishing excursion over the weekend. A man drowned in Fort Peck when the utility terrain vehicle he was riding on went through the ice  this past Saturday. The accident victim was identified as 72-year-old Roger Schaad of Rexford, Montana. He was aboard one of two UTVs in the group's fishing party.

The utility terrain vehicle fell through the ice and quickly became submerged with two men on-board. The other man was able to escape and other members of the group were able to pull him out of the water and to safety. Sadly, Mr. Schaad was not able to get out and drowned as a result.

The men were fishing on the lake near Crooked Creek Marina. That is basically the area located near the southwestern tip of the massive Fort Peck Lake. They were driving on the ice and were heading back to the marina when they drifted off course and found themselves on unsafe ice.

The Petroleum County sheriff wanted to remind anglers who plan to ice fish at Fort Peck to be extremely cautious of ice conditions. The sheriff also wanted to make sure that the brave members of the rescue team were thanked for their efforts, as things otherwise could have turned out even worse.