Two county children drown after riding bikes on melting ice

By Linda Trest, Staff Writer
Posted 12/24/19

Two boys from St. Clair are dead after riding their bikes on a frozen pond Sunday.

A drowning incident report filed by Tpr. D. C. Highley with Troop C of the Missouri State Highway Patrol does …

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Two county children drown after riding bikes on melting ice

Posted

Two boys from St. Clair are dead after riding their bikes on a frozen pond Sunday.

A drowning incident report filed by Tpr. D. C. Highley with Troop C of the Missouri State Highway Patrol does not identify either boy. It does report that the incident happened on a private pond at 424 Walls Ford Road near St. Clair 12:08 p.m.

The two boys left home to ride their bikes on private property and did not return back home as instructed. A family member found one boy floating in the private pond. EMS was called and the second child was located by a diver with the St. Clair Fire Department.

Both children were taken to Mercy Washington by Meramec EMS.

The 8-year-old boy was pronounced dead at 5:22 p.m. The 7-year-old was pronounced at 5:10 p.m.

Reporting by KSDK television in St. Louis says St. Clair Fire Battalion Chief Adam Hansel reported the water was chest deep on the rescuers.

According to KSDK, Hansel said, “You know, it’s been warm and then cold again. That ice is thawing and refreezing on both top and bottom, and we don’t know the exact thickness of that ice, so it’s safe to stay off that ice at all times,” he said.

The news channel also noted, “Experts say there should at least be four inches of ice before you try to walk across it. If you can’t tell if it’s that thick, then just avoid it all together.”

There is no confirmation on how long the two boys were in the water before they were discovered.