Hey Frank did you hear about this kid??
February 8, 2007 11:20 am — After 36 hours of work, employees of Jim’s Service Center in Rochester last night hauled a mangled sport utility vehicle from the icy waters of Irondequoit Bay.
The 2000 Chevrolet Blazer that was encased in the ice of the bay for nearly two days was removed from the water late last night, Irondequoit Police officers said today.
“It was a monumental task,” said Jim Mathews, owner of the Jim’s Service Center. “I didn’t expect it would be as time consuming or as manpower- or equipment-draining as it was.”
The SUV was pulled to shore about 9:30 p.m., and was removed from the scene about 10 p.m., he said.
Travis Newberry, 20, of Rochester drove his SUV onto the iced-over bay late Monday night. The vehicle broke through the ice into 4 or 5 feet of water about 450 feet from shore. The ice was reportedly 9 inches thick there.
Newberry and two friends were not injured during the incident. Officers did not charge Newberry with any violations since it is not illegal to drive a car on the ice, said Sgt. Jonna Izzo of the Irondequoit Police Department.
Mathews said he was among a crew of 10 men who removed the submerged vehicle from the bay. He said he expects the recovery cost “will be in the neighborhood of $5,000” but he has not reviewed all of the expenses and has not drafted a bill yet.
A state Department of Environmental Conservation official said Tuesday that the owner was responsible for removing the vehicle and associated costs, as well as any fines that might be levied because of fluid leakage or other reasons. But DEC Regional Director Sean Hanna said today that the agency does not plan to levy a fine against Newberry.
“We kept a close eye on the situation; nothing or virtually nothing leaked from the vehicle” into the bay, Hanna said. “We’ve all made decisions in life that we’ve regretted. We think he’s paid enough for fhis mistake.”
Mathews explained that he and his crew used several methods to remove the SUV, while working in the bitter cold with whipping winds.
First, workers cut ice around the SUV with chainsaws, flipped it on its roof to drag the vehicle to shore, he said. But the vehicle – filled with water and ice – fell back through the ice.
The crew then tried winching; Mathews said they repeatedly cut 10-to-15 foot sections of ice and used an elaborate pulley system to drag the vehicle more than halfway to shore.
With 150 feet to go – workers again pulled the vehicle from the water, and dragged it toward the shore, he said. About 20 feet away, the vehicle again fell through the ice. Mathews said the crew again winched to pull the vehicle to land.
Mathews and two of his employees fell through the ice during recovery efforts, he said. No one was seriously hurt, “just a little cold.”
And, he said, dozens of people stopped by to assist – they held flashlights, moved equipment and supported the crew as they worked, Mathews said.
“We were so appreciative of the support,” he said. “It really made a difference.”
The vehicle, which weighed 4,147 pounds when empty, weighed over 9,000 pounds after it was removed because it was filled with “huge ice blocks,” Mathews said.
Sgt. Izzo said that the state Department of Environmental Conservation had been contacted and that she expected officials will would be in touch with the driver.
Agency officials were on the scene earlier this week to determine whether any fluids entered the waters of Irondequoit Bay. On Tuesday, a DEC official said the thick ice made it difficult to tell if any gas or oil spilled into the water.
