Father, son die after fall through ice on Alderman Lake

HIGHLAND CHARTER TWP, Mich. (WJBK) - A father and his four-year-old son were out fishing Monday morning when the thin ice gave way. Now their family and friends are trying to come to grips with the realization that they're both gone.

30-year-old David Lyons was out fishing with his 4-year-old son, Jackson, Monday morning around 10:30. That's when other people out on the ice realized that the two had gone under. 20 minutes later, the dive team was there and were pulling both from the lake.

They were both rushed to the hospital with critical injuries, but a few hours later, they were both dead. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said they think they were actually heading back to land when the ice broke.

"We believe they were on their way back in they had been out the little one was cold they were coming off the ice the traverse out was fine fishing was fine but the ice has pockets and flows that's what we think happened," Bouchard said. "Anyone who is a parent knows how horrible this is our prayers go out to his family during this difficult time."

Those who knew Lyons and his son are still trying to understand it all. People like Ron Naka who knew him for years.

"I don't want to believe this  that something could have happened he was just phenomenal guy loved his kid wanted to do stuff with him all the time," Naka said.

Friends say Lyons worked at Jack's Barbershop near Highland and Duck Lake Roads but if they couldn't afford to stop, he would take his clippers to the people and cut their hair at home. He often talked about how much he loved ice fishing with his son and now everyone is talking about how much they loved them.

"I was just out there out he was talking about ice fishing with his son and all the tricks  I cant believe something like this could happen," Naka said.

The sheriff cannot emphasize that no ice is safe ice especially when you are dealing with temperatures in the forties like we had have in recent days.

In the wake of this tragic accident, the Department of Natural Resources published a reminder to everyone to remember the saying no ice is safe:

"When temperatures reach into the 40s, as they have recently in many areas, thawing will occur and that will definitely weaken ice," said Sgt. Steve Orange, DNR Law Enforcement Division's recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor. "It's very important to know and follow guidelines to determine how ice looks and feels so that your day of ice fishing or snowmobiling is enjoyable and safe. Ignoring warning signs of weakened ice can result in a life-threatening incident."

The DNR also said that the standard "inch-thickness" guide used by many anglers is not recommended because ice seldom forms at a uniform rate.