88-Year-Old Hancock County Man Drowned When ATV Went Thru the Ice

An elderly Hancock County man died Friday when the ATV he was riding on broke through the ice.

Have Officials Released the Name of the Deceased?

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the deceased has been identified as Floyd Hardison, 88, of Waltham, Maine.

What Happened?

Mr. Hardison had spent the day on Friday ice fishing on Spring River Lake with his son and two grandsons, when att approximately 6:00 Friday afternoon, the group packed up their gear to go home. They were riding their ATV's back to their vehicles, parked on the shore, when the ATV carrying Hardison and his grandson broke through the ice. Hardison's adult grandson was driving the vehicle when it fell into the lake approximately 400 yards from shore.

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Was Anyone Else Hurt?

The grandson was able to free himself from the sinking ATV and get out onto the ice, but Floyd couldn't free himself in time and sunk to the bottom with the vehicle.

Rescue personnel from several departments responded to the scene and located the hole where the ATV had broken through. A firefighter in a wet suit retrieved Mr. Hardison's body, which was still in the ATV, at approximately 8:25 from about ten feet of water. He was taken back to shore by the Warden Service air boat.

Our sincerest condolences to Mr. Hardison's family and friends.