PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. (WTHR) – Crews have recovered the body of a man after an ATV accident on Heritage Lake in Putnam County.
Crews were called around 1:30 p.m. Saturday after reports of a drowning.
Conservation officer Angela Goldman says two men on separate ATVs both fell into the water. One of the men was able to get out of the ice and back onto land with minor injuries.
Officials say the lake was covered in about two inches of ice with 30 feet of water below.
Crews from multiple agencies responded, using divers, boats and drones in an attempt to locate the second rider, identified as 48-year-old Brett Crowder.
“The weather condition makes it cold underneath there, so the divers can only stay in maybe 10 minutes tops before they can come out and be replaced by the next set,” said Goldman.
Conservation officers confirm Crowder’s body was recovered from the water around 6 p.m. Saturday.
“He was pulled from the water. He was evaluated by a doctor here on site and pronounced deceased,” said Goldman.