Maine father dies while rescuing 4-year-old son after they both fell in icy pond
Rescuers on site in Maine after a father died after rescuing his son from an icy pond. (Credit: Maine Warden Service)
CARMEL, Maine - A Maine father drowned after rescuing his 4-year-old son when they both fell through the ice.
The Maine Warden Service said 51-year-old Kevin Howell went for a walk with his son when they crossed a portion of Etna Pond.
That's when the ice cracked and they both plunged into the icy water.
Authorities said Howell was able to get his son out of the water and onto a sheet of ice. The boy was able to run home and tell his mother, and she called 911 before rushing to help her husband using an anchor and a rope.
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The wife also fell through the ice while trying to rescue her husband.
First responders quickly arrived and were able to rescue the wife from the water, but they could not find the husband.
After more crews were called in to help, Howell's body was located.
Howell was a town manager for Carmel.
Howell's biography on the Town of Carmel website says he and his wife moved to Carmel in 2014 and that in his spare time he enjoyed woodworking, expanding his family hobby farm and outdoor sporting activities. He was also described as being an "avid cook."
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In addition to being town manager, Howell was involved in the state's Emergency Medical Services as a member of the second EMS Blue Ribbon Commission.
"Mr. Howell was a visionary for his community’s development of a regional EMS system," Maine EMS posted to Facebook. "We are very appreciative of his support for the Maine Bureau of EMS, the state of Maine and the kindness he showed his community and colleagues. Our deepest sympathies to his friends and his family."
The Associated Press and FOX News contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.