If You Break Through Ice (2024)

FAQs

What would happen if you fell through ice? ›

Falling through ice can induce a cold shock response, where you gasp as you fall and accidentally inhale water. The panic can also cause you to hyperventilate, which can lead to unconsciousness. In both instances, drowning is a real possibility and can happen within minutes.

If you fall through the ice and the water underneath drags you away you will die of drowning unless there is a space between the ice and the water surface and you can breathe. In which case you will die of hypothermia. Quickly.

To treat a sprain, start with ice. Alternate 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off. Keep your arm elevated and take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).

What to do if you break through the ice? Don't panic - the clothes you're wearing will trap air and keep you buoyant. Turn toward the direction you came from and place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. Kick your feet and try to push yourself forward on top of the unbroken ice on your stomach like a seal.

Hyperventilation or the gasp reflexes is the first and immediate response when the body falls into icy water. Following the shock of the cold water, individuals will progress through these three other stages: Incapacitation. The body freezes up to conserve energy.

Falling on ice skates means you'll be hitting solid ice. That ice can be harder than concrete and can fracture bones.

Anna Elisabeth Johansson Bågenholm (born 1970) is a Swedish radiologist from Vänersborg, who survived after a skiing accident in 1999 left her trapped under a layer of ice for 80 minutes in freezing water.

In water that is around the freezing point, a person is likely to survive only 15 to 45 minutes with flotation and possibly up to an hour or so with flotation and protective gear before the brain and heart stop (Table 1). The surface temperature of Lake Superior in early to mid-summer is about 40 to 50 F.

Hold onto something or stay as still as possible until your breathing settles down. Focus on floating with your head above water until the cold shock response abates. When your breathing is under control, perform the most important functions first before you lose dexterity (10–15 minutes after immersion).