Unseasonable Weather Makes New York Ice Fishing Treacherous
Ice fishing accidents have increased this year, as unseasonably warm weather has prevented safe amounts of ice from forming on many New York lakes, according to a recent news report from YNN.
Two Binghamton residents lost their lives recently while ice fishing on a northern New York lake. Their untimely deaths have highlighted a problem on many northern and central New York lakes: the ice is not thick enough to stand on, and what ice is collecting isn’t freezing in a way that makes it stable. This spells danger for many people who would otherwise be enjoying ice fishing and other activities on New York’s usually-frozen lakes.
Several ice fishers on Oneida Lake stated that they usually will not venture out unless the ice is at least six inches thick and the weather has stayed consistently below freezing for at least two weeks. Although the ice on the lake isn’t near these conditions yet, many are hoping that by February, ice fishing will be a less treacherous option.
Normally, ice fishers thwarted by warm weather would consider fishing by boat. However, on many lakes, enough ice has formed to make boating dangerous as well. Most private boat owners and boating companies will not venture out on the lakes because of the ice that has formed, since the risk of an accident would be too great.
Winter is a great time for any number of sports, including ice fishing, skiing, and sledding. Unfortunately, weather conditions can also cause serious accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in a boating or other recreational accident, the experienced New York boating accident attorneys at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro & Halperin, LLP may be able to help. Call us today at (212) 222-4336 for a free and confidential case evaluation.
