Rescue too late. Pickup driver in cold-water floating gear was retrieved alive but died in hospital. . Image: Mille Lacs County sheriff
Lake ice uneven — and way too thin
ISLE. Minn. – A local man died after his truck broke through six inches of ice on Mille Lacs near Flagship Inn. Richard Gadbois, 80, of Isle, was wearing a floatation device, first-responders said. They pulled him to shore and took him 12 miles to the Onamia hospital, where he died. Sheriff Kyle Burton said a truck needs 13 to 17 inches of ice to traverse the lake safely.