BIG LAKE, Minn. - Three people safely escaped their vehicle minutes before the SUV sunk to the bottom of Big Lake Sunday afternoon.
The Sherburne County sheriff's office says 45-year-old Steven Bergquist, 46-year-old Natalie Muehring and Bergquist's 12-year-old son were driving out to their fish house at about 5:30 p.m. when the rear portion of the SUV broke through the ice and went partially under water. The three occupants all crawled out windows and onto the frozen lake. Authorities say minutes later, the SUV fell to the bottom of the 25-foot-deep lake.
No one was injured.
Efforts to remove the SUV were underway Monday.
The Sherburne County sheriff's office warned ice conditions and depths on Big Lake and other area lakes have been terribly inconsistent during the winter. They said several people and equipment have broken through ice over the past several weeks.
Last Friday, the Hennepin County sheriff's office banned cars, trucks and SUVs from all county lakes.
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