Crews recover body of man who fell through ice at Settlement Canyon Reservoir
Jan 29, 2024, 7:45 PM | Updated: Jan 31, 2024, 11:07 am
TOOELE — Search crews in Tooele recovered the body of a man who fell through the ice at Settlement Canyon Reservoir Monday night.
Tooele Police Cpl. Colbey Bentley told KSL TV a woman first fell through the ice just before 7 p.m., and a man went to rescue her. Bentley said the man got the woman out, but he subsequently fell in. His body was recovered at approximately 11:20 p.m.
The man was identified by police as 20-year-old Emaloni Lutui of Taylorsville, Utah.
The woman was treated for exposure to the cold and was transported to a nearby hospital, Bentley said. Her exact condition was unknown.
The man was 20 years old and the woman is in her early 20s, according to police. Bentley said he did not know their relationship or what they were doing before falling through.
“As far as we know, they were just going onto the ice,” Bentley said.
Police said the area where the man fell has a steep grade about 2 feet off the bank. The conditions late Monday made the rescue effort complicated.
“It’s extremely difficult when it’s dark,” Bentley said, “and that’s usually when these instances happen.”
Police also noted there have been three water incidents at this same reservoir in the past year, two of them involving ice. About a year ago, a teenage boy died after falling through the ice.
“Ice can be so tricky,” Bentley said. “We can have several cold days in a row, but all of a sudden, we have a warm day. That ice can be so deceiving. It may seem thicker than what it really is, and somebody falls through…It turns dangerous so fast.”
Bentley urged people to stay off the ice. Authorities have not identified the man.
