Quick action saves Bussey Lake ice fisherman
River rescue at Bussey Lake A fisherman who fell through the ice on Bussey Lake, Guttenberg, on Jan. 21 is transported by emergency personnel to a waiting ambulance. (Photo by Toni Boardman)
By Shelia Tomkins
An afternoon walk along the river on a cold January day took a dramatic turn for a Guttenberg woman when she heard cries for help and became part of a rescue effort that saved the life of a man who had fallen through the ice.
Toni Boardman was walking on the dike along Bussey Lake in north Guttenberg on Thursday, Jan. 21, when she heard cries for help. Looking toward the river, she saw a man up to his neck in the icy waters of the backwater lake, a popular spot for ice fishing.
She began to climb down the ice-covered rocks on the dike, shouting at the man to hang on. As she headed out on the ice, she tried to call 911 on her cell phone but without success. She then frantically called a friend, Jane Thein at The Guttenberg Press, who called 911 on a landline and asked for help.
The victim was approximately 20-30 yards from shore. "I was trying to talk to this guy at the same time I was calling, telling him to hang on," said Toni. "He said he had been in the water for 20 minutes. The ice he was standing on was breaking under him."
She became increasingly alarmed when he told her he was going to pass out. "I told him to hang on," she said, and kept up conversation with him in order to keep him alert.
The man's loud calls for help had also reached as far west as Bluff Street, where brothers Martin "Buss" and Mike Hefel heard the cries and headed to the scene and out on the ice.
"They were the ones who pulled the guy out," said Toni. "They were the heroes."
When emergency personnel arrived quickly at the scene, the man was out of the water. Responding to the call were the Guttenberg Police Department, Guttenberg Fire Department, Guttenberg EMS, Clayton County Sheriff's Department and the Iowa State Patrol.
According to the Guttenberg police report, the victim was Peter Kluesner, 67, of New Vienna, who fell through a thin spot in the ice while preparing to go ice fishing. He was transported by ambulance to Guttenberg Municipal Hospital where he was treated by emergency room staff.
Toni later reflected on the circumstances that put her in the right place to offer aid. She had just completed a walk with a friend and was ready to return home, but for some reason unknown to herself felt the need to go for a longer walk. She is also amazed that she was able to hear the man's cries for help, considering the fact that she was listening to music on earbuds, and there was a loud train passing by at the time. "Usually I would have quit walking earlier. I feel I was meant to be in that place at that time," she said.
