Car plunges through ice on Wasilla Lake, teens inside unhurt

WASILLA — Flowing water between the two parts of Wasilla Lake claimed another vehicle Friday.

At around 4 p.m., Friday, two teenagers driving a green four-door sedan punched through thin ice, submerging the sedan up to its windows.

Mat-Su Dive Rescue Chief Cliff Silvers said that, as rescues go, it was relatively easy.

“It’s only 5 feet deep right there,” he said.

The teens weren’t hurt and nobody had to suit up and go into the water after them, Silvers said. Borough emergency responders don’t generally release names so he couldn’t identify the teens.

As for the spot they broke through off of Lakeshore Drive, it seems like Silvers and his team are called out there every winter.

“The channel there has always got flowing water through it and it’s always thin ice,” Silvers said. “Anybody that lives around here kind of knows that that’s a flowing channel.”

When a car went through last year locals started asking why there isn’t a sign there to warn the unaware.

Back then, Silvers said that when he starts talking about signs the answer he always gets is that signs would mean the Mat-Su Borough has to take responsibility. If they’re stolen or removed and someone punches through, lawsuits could ensue with the borough held liable.

Silvers said it’s best to avoid that channel altogether. There’s really no safe time to drive on it. Other parts of the lake are much more stable. This winter, with little snow cover to insulate it and relatively cold temperatures, the ice is thick.

“I just don’t go out on lakes, myself,” Silvers said.

When a car or snowmachine punches through the ice, the borough’s job is to tend to the victims. The responsibility for pulling the vehicle out generally falls to its owner. In this case, Silvers said, he doesn’t think it will come cheap.

“He’s looking at least $500 for a tow company to get him out of there,” Silvers said. “A $500 bill for a car that won’t run anymore.”

But it beats the alternative. Once the Environmental Protection Agency gets notice that the car is there and notifies the owner it must be removed, fines start accruing.

“It’s $1,000 a day,” Silvers said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.