Ice warnings should be posted, survivor says

[Spiel]

Ice warnings should be posted, survivor says

Woman says she didn’t know about weakness near plant

 

Gord Young

February 12, 2008

North Bay Nugget

 

 

Thin ice on Lake Nipissing near the city’s sewage plant outflow pipe should be marked, says a woman who narrowly escaped drowning Saturday after her truck plunged through the weak spot.

 

“I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t speak out,” said Nicole Neff, who’s afraid the next time a vehicle crashes through the shaky ice that those inside won’t be as lucky as she and her passenger were this weekend.

 

Neff and her business partner, Melanie Rowley, who was her passenger that afternoon, managed to climb out a window and crawl to safety after the unstable ice collapsed beneath the weight of the truck in which they were travelling.

 

“Something has to be done,” said Neff, who has since learned that thin ice near the outflow pipe, which pumps out warmer water from the sewage treatment plant on Memorial Drive, is an annual winter safety hazard.

 

She said longtime city residents may be aware of the weak ice across from the sewage plant. But Neff, an owner of Bay Builders who has lived in the city for three years, said she didn’t know of the danger and believes she’s not alone.

 

She said she knows people who have lived in North Bay their entire lives who also weren’t aware of the danger, not to mention tourists who are encouraged to visit the lake to snowmobile and ice fish.

 

Neff planned to voice her concerns to municipal politicians during Monday night’s committee discussions, but discovered after attending the talks that public presentations are limited to council meetings.

 

Whether it’s the city, Ontario Provincial Police, or some other agency, Neff said she wants someone to take responsibility for warning the public and marking the thin ice.

 

OPP, which is responsible for policing the lake, has issued warnings on numerous occasions in the past about poor ice conditions near the sewage plant, as well as other locations.

 

But there may be liability concerns associated with placing markers on the ice, especially since going on the lake during the winter is considered to be an “at-your-own-risk” activity.

 

Neff said she’s relived the accident in her mind almost every hour since it occurred. And she’s convinced there’s a better way to prevent another accident from happening in the same location than word of mouth.

[LeXXington]

Ice warnings should be posted, survivor says

Woman says she didn’t know about weakness near plant

“Something has to be done,” said Neff, who has since learned that thin ice near the outflow pipe, which pumps out warmer water from the sewage treatment plant on Memorial Drive, is an annual winter safety hazard.

 

Sign of the times, blame others. If you don't know the thinkness of the ice and the conditons DO not venture out on the ice.

[cranks bait]

Signs won't make any difference. There might even be signs up in the area she was in? People will only see them when they "want" to. If she had lived there for three years, I honestly cannot believe she did not know about this hazzard.

 

I have seen people go around these warnings and not even notice. It's just something for "the other person not me" Look at how many people go through stop signs. Move the "please wait to be seated" sign at a restaurant and seat themselves.

 

People have to learn to think for themselves and be responsible instead of passing the buck. Just because some other idiot is out there in a truck doesn't mean you don't have to check conditions for yourself.

[Greencoachdog]

I wonder what color her hair is?

[Bernie]

I agree completely Lex. People have to start taking responsibility for themselves instead of blaming others. When venturing out on the ice for the first time (often I am first one out) take extreme care and measure carefully. Knowing the lake and it's weak points helps. For those that don't know where they are going question locals and find out. Too risky otherwise. There are still areas in the South Bay of Nipissing I would not venture this season. In the past we would have 24" minimum by now.

[walleyejigger]

i'm pretty sure on the news they said people were waving their arms in the air to try and get her attention, if she did'nt see that she probably wouldn't of seen the signs either