Live truck falls through ice

[LobsterStuffedWithTacos]

SUNDAY, Jan. 28, 2007, 6:06 p.m.
By Bob Purvis
TV news truck breaks through ice

A WDJT (Channel 58) news truck is nearly submerged in water after breaking through the ice on Big Lake Muskego this afternoon.

The truck drove off a boat launch and about 150 yards out onto an iced over channel leading to the lake when the ice suddenly gave way, said Muskego police Sgt. John Mesich.

The truck quickly sank to the bottom of the channel, which is about 4 to 5 feet deep, Mesich said.

The occupants of the truck were able to escape without injury and the truck now sits partially submerged in the channel, Mesich said.

A special company has been called to help pull the truck from the ice, but that could take two days, Mesich said.
Mesich said that the crew was shooting "something ice-related."
http://www.jsonline.com/watch/?watch=1&date=1/28/2007&id=17996

[Produce man]

LOL! tongue.gif

[LittleBabyPuppy]

Why does something tell me a lazy photog was blamed for this?

[Oh Snap]

I don't know if anyone will call it laziness... I've lived in places where this was done - when we were sure the ice was thick enough. There were some people who still refused to do it, though. I teased them for being wussies at the time, but maybe they were onto something.
They're lucky they were in shallow water. And not doing a live shot.

[thebrain]

D'OH!!!!

From http://www.engsafety.com/safetypg2/Papers/Past-incidents/list.html

Fri, 4/22/05, a (CBS) WDJT Ch 58 ENG truck leaving a live shot location atthe Waukesha Co courthouse (WI) didn't lower the mast completely. I'm not sure if it was lowered at all - but it was high enough to strike power lines that ran over the road. This caused the mast to break near the top of the truck, and fall off. I didn't hear of any injuries, but did hear that the occupants of the truckdid get out rather quickly - luckily they weren't energized on the way out. Two other notes; the 3 main news stations in town are represented by a union, 58 had recently been involved in a long fight to unionize, but did not. Also, the other 3 stations had all held separate safety seminars withthe local power company, WE Energies, in the past month (including a videoof yours). Unfortunately Ch 58 did not hold any safety seminars that I know of.

[Roy Hobbs]

Poor guy almost drowned...(overblown 10 p.m. announcer's voice)...IN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES!

[CorkySherwood]

Oh WDJT... what will you do to shoot yourself in the foot next...

[Roy Hobbs]

The driver forgot to eat his Uittis.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally posted by thebrain:
D'OH!!!!

From http://www.engsafety.com/safetypg2/Papers/Past-incidents/list.html

Fri, 4/22/05, a (CBS) WDJT Ch 58 ENG truck leaving a live shot location atthe Waukesha Co courthouse (WI) didn't lower the mast completely. I'm not sure if it was lowered at all - but it was high enough to strike power lines that ran over the road. This caused the mast to break near the top of the truck, and fall off. I didn't hear of any injuries, but did hear that the occupants of the truckdid get out rather quickly - luckily they weren't energized on the way out. Two other notes; the 3 main news stations in town are represented by a union, 58 had recently been involved in a long fight to unionize, but did not. Also, the other 3 stations had all held separate safety seminars withthe local power company, WE Energies, in the past month (including a videoof yours). Unfortunately Ch 58 did not hold any safety seminars that I know of.I worked for a non-union shop that was hyper about live truck safety (in a good way). Not sure you can equate the lack of a union with a guy driving a very heavy vehicle on ice. Seems like more of an issue of the station needing to better train its engineers/truck ops about safety.

[Spike]

Apparently the girl driving the truck mistook the channel for a road in the snow. There's a package on this site (http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/5395216.html) that shows the scene, where people on ATVs had been using the channel to get out to the lake and had left a lot of tire tracks in the snow. She thought she was turning onto a road that would take her out to the lake, not realizing she was already on it.

At first it sounded like stupidity, but now it sounds like an honest mistake for someone who wasn't familiar with the channel.

[ January 29, 2007, 12:09 AM: Message edited by: Spike ]

[Fargin Icehole]

http://images.todaystmj4.com/images/LiveTruck4b1s.jpg
I'm jealous. My station doesn't have a submarine.

[Big Poppa Pump]

I'm sure management would have rather the crew sink than the truck. Sad to say but I remember stories of NDs and management asking how the gear/equipment was after people have been in accidents. Makes me glad I got out.

[14 GHz]

Saw this on CNN, they said the station was shooting a story on the danger of thin ice. Those vans weigh almost 10,000lb. How do they know if the ice can support that weight?

[hoosiergirl]

Nice one Hobbs!

[thebrain]

Originally posted by Sir Dropham Pants:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by thebrain:
D'OH!!!!

From http://www.engsafety.com/safetypg2/Papers/Past-incidents/list.html

Fri, 4/22/05, a (CBS) WDJT Ch 58 ENG truck leaving a live shot location atthe Waukesha Co courthouse (WI) didn't lower the mast completely. I'm not sure if it was lowered at all - but it was high enough to strike power lines that ran over the road. This caused the mast to break near the top of the truck, and fall off. I didn't hear of any injuries, but did hear that the occupants of the truckdid get out rather quickly - luckily they weren't energized on the way out. Two other notes; the 3 main news stations in town are represented by a union, 58 had recently been involved in a long fight to unionize, but did not. Also, the other 3 stations had all held separate safety seminars withthe local power company, WE Energies, in the past month (including a videoof yours). Unfortunately Ch 58 did not hold any safety seminars that I know of.I worked for a non-union shop that was hyper about live truck safety (in a good way). Not sure you can equate the lack of a union with a guy driving a very heavy vehicle on ice. Seems like more of an issue of the station needing to better train its engineers/truck ops about safety.</font>[/QUOTE]Not my thoughts....Just copied and pasted what was on the website about a previous ENG accident at the same station.

[facts]

Anyone who's lived in the great white north knows this can happen all to easily. Sometimes the only indication there's a road at all is that there's an area of no trees in a straight line.

Glad the crew is okay.

[photog78]

Some of you may make light of this, but this could have been very tragic. Equipment can be replaced, people can not.

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by photog78:
Some of you may make light of this, but this could have been very tragic. Equipment can be replaced, people can not.Yeah but what's more tragic is that somehow, somewhere, someone thought this was a good idea, and a whole newscrew said "OK, let's do it." Dumb... with a capital DUH.

[CKMD]

I hated my time at WDJT, but making light of this is just wrong.
The woman could've died.
For those of you who don't live here in Wisconsin, this is an easy mistake to make...it looked like a road and had tire tracks on it.

Casting the first stone...you know.

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by Can't Keep Me Down:
For those of you who don't live here in Wisconsin, this is an easy mistake to make...it looked like a road and had tire tracks on it.What about in the summertime? Does it look like a road then too?

Didn't these people, who traverse the area every day, know this wasn't a road? Weren't they doing a story on thin ice?

I think it was a ratings stunt. Just imagine all the free publicity they'll get from the PWNED pictures folks will be making.... tongue.gif

[Bureau Chief]

With turnover as high as it is in most stations nowadays, chances are that the photog, reporter AND the producer had no idea what they were driving into a bad area. I would bet the producer made the call as to where they were to go too.

[ January 29, 2007, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Bureau Chief ]

[Spike]

Originally posted by News Is Broken:
What about in the summertime? Does it look like a road then too?

Didn't these people, who traverse the area every day, know this wasn't a road? Weren't they doing a story on thin ice?I'm guessing you work in house and don't get out into the field too often.

Do you think field people have the maps memorized and know every road, house and business in the market? After many years you get to know most of your area, but you'll still end up in places you've never been. And even places you know look different when covered in snow. I have watched and videotaped people who drive the same streets every day run right off a snow covered road into ditches or grass because they simply didn't know where the road was. Most people find the road in the snow by following tracks of other people.

From what I understand this girl was actually a fairly recent hire. She does not "traverse the area every day," and wouldn't "traverse the area every day" even if she had been there ten years. She thought it was a road going down to the lake. I saw the video, and it LOOKS like a road going down to the lake, covered in snow, with tire tracks where other people have followed the road. If you didn't "traverse the area every day," it's entirely plausible that you would think there was pavement under there rather than water.

Originally posted by News Is Broken:
Yeah but what's more tragic is that somehow, somewhere, someone thought this was a good idea, and a whole newscrew said "OK, let's do it." Dumb... with a capital DUH.I haven't seen any indication that anyone thought this was a good idea. And furthermore, it wasn't "a whole newscrew." It was one girl, by herself, in an unfamiliar area. Maybe you should actually find out what you're talking about before making a fool of yourself.

[ January 29, 2007, 10:55 AM: Message edited by: Spike ]

[Spike]

Here, educate yourselves:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/5395216.html

[The Thrill]

Glad she's OK, but...

Originally posted by Fargin Icehole:
http://images.todaystmj4.com/images/LiveTruck4b1s.jpg
I'm jealous. My station doesn't have a submarine.(insert Jaws theme here) :eek:

[cinehead]

Originally posted by Produce man:
LOL! tongue.gif Yeah, that's really funny.

[Clever Login Name]

Originally posted by Spike:
Here, educate yourselves:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/5395216.htmlLet's say this is a plumber's van or something like that ... does it get near as much air-play by the competition? I always grimace at stories like this ... not to say it isn't legitimate, but the "there but for the grace of God go we" motto ought to be remembered as well.

edit: is it becoming commonplace for a station to put up raw footage on its website? Places I've worked, we've always treated raw video like a reporter's notes. I know this is a fairly innocuous story to do it for, but if you set the precedent, you could have legal problems somewhere down the road when some lawyer demands to see outtakes from a more controversial piece.

[ January 29, 2007, 11:55 AM: Message edited by: Clever Login Name ]

[Spike]

Originally posted by Clever Login Name:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Spike:
Here, educate yourselves:

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/5395216.htmlLet's say this is a plumber's van or something like that ... does it get near as much air-play by the competition? I always grimace at stories like this ... not to say it isn't legitimate, but the "there but for the grace of God go we" motto ought to be remembered as well.</font>[/QUOTE]Yeah, I agree with you. I don't understand why this warranted a package, much less a package with a live shot. But at least as a result we got a better understanding of WTF happened.

[hoosiergirl]

This story made the networks overnight, so someone thought it was worth showing. While it was certainly scary and I'm glad she's ok, my understanding is that the water is only about four feet deep there. I'm sure if there was another outcome no one would be joking.

[imported_Mr. Vengeance]

The driver's lucky the producer didn't tell her to fire up the generator, raise the mast, and deliver some video with the "Breaking News" banner for a live cut-in.

I've heard of producers who, upon being told the live truck is immobilized, hire a tow truck to move the live vehicle to the proper location for the hit. As long as that baby can deliver a signal, you're gonna be live!

[Roy Hobbs]

Here's video along with a couple funny personal anecdotes by the talent at WCBS-TV:

Live Truck Video (http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=96099@wcbs.dayport.com)

[CKMD]

Originally posted by News Is Broken:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Can't Keep Me Down:
For those of you who don't live here in Wisconsin, this is an easy mistake to make...it looked like a road and had tire tracks on it.What about in the summertime? Does it look like a road then too?

Didn't these people, who traverse the area every day, know this wasn't a road? Weren't they doing a story on thin ice?

I think it was a ratings stunt. Just imagine all the free publicity they'll get from the PWNED pictures folks will be making.... tongue.gif </font>[/QUOTE]You think the photog goes to Lake Muskego often?

And please, no ratings stunt will help that station get out of the bottom of the lake, literally, they are in and have been since 1994.

[Desert Rat]

That pic of the live van reminds me of the Chariot in the first season of Lost In Space traversing the lake.

[Sultanosurf]

Yeah, safety stuff is important. But nobody was hurt. And that sub line was pretty good.

Why the competing ND approved airing the piece is downright strange, though...

[ January 29, 2007, 08:58 PM: Message edited by: Sultanosurf ]

[Fargin Icehole]

Yes, I took a pot shot (who couldn't resist), but it was an accident. Hope she didn't get into any trouble over this.

And if she needs reassurance that it has happened to others, check this out:
http://www.thedieselgypsy.com/ICE-Truck-1.jpg
Good luck pulling that one out.

[trunky]

the obvious response to this is

oops.

[facts]

I'm guessing News is Broken is a producer.. and has never been out in the field. Very clueless.

[Y2J]

Best part of this story to me is that a friend of mine works for that particular CBS station in Milwaukee :D He finds the whole thing hilarious.

[Michigan J. Frog]

Originally posted by thebrain:
D'OH!!!!
Unfortunately Ch 58 did not hold any safety seminars that I know of.Sure, sure, unions prevent EVERY kind of accident possible, right?

I worked in a northern market for years and never once did a union rep push for a seminar on how to tell a snow-covered road from tracks on the ice of a lake.

[Clever Login Name]

Maybe if she'd been on her union-mandated break she never would have been on that "road".

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by facts:
I'm guessing News is Broken is a producer.. and has never been out in the field. Very clueless.Ha, nope. But in my own defense, I live in a city where the only ice you come across in the wintertime usually comes in little cubes in your drink.

I still don't know how someone could mistake a frozen lake for a freaking road, or why in God's name OTHER PEOPLE drove across a FROZEN LAKE for Cruise's sake, but I guess that explains alot about why so many "snowbirds" (that's what we Arizonans call folks from back east who come here in the winter and go home when it gets hot) can't drive for sh!t and get in wrecks out here on a DAILY BASIS.

And I've done plenty of field time bubba... plenty. So there. graemlins/moon.gif

[ZuZu's Petals]

Originally posted by Clever Login Name:
[QUOTE] I always grimace at stories like this ... not to say it isn't legitimate, but the "there but for the grace of God go we" motto ought to be remembered as well.
Agreed!
there's a radio station here that does a 'white trash news flash' bit - which is typically Darwinian in nature... and a few years ago, when the Omaha news photographer died covering a dangerous intersection, they included it in their bit.
I called in and gave them what for! It's one think pointing out stupid things people do... but when someone DIES doing their JOB - lay off sicko.

This woman is lucky she got out. She must have some wits about her to scramble out in time.

[News Is Broken]

Originally posted by ZuZu's Petals:
This woman is lucky she got out. She must have some wits about her to scramble out in time.In time for what? The ice to re-freeze?

Look at the picture - the van is in about 2 feet of water. We're not talking about the North Atlantic here.

This thread just kills me. Yes, it could have been much worse. It also could have easily been avoided if the driver was paying attention. I'm sorry but even a frozen boat ramp probably still has a sign nearby that says (imagine it with me people) "boat ramp". Wow. I don't know about you, but if I'm driving along and I see a sign that say "boat ramp" I'm not gonna just plod forward and go "oopsie" when I drive a 6 figure live truck into the drink. If I ever did something like that, I would deserve to be fired for it - it's no different than raising the mast under some powerlines or driving off with it up.

[thebrain]

Originally posted by Michigan J. Frog:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by thebrain:
D'OH!!!!
Unfortunately Ch 58 did not hold any safety seminars that I know of.Sure, sure, unions prevent EVERY kind of accident possible, right?

I worked in a northern market for years and never once did a union rep push for a seminar on how to tell a snow-covered road from tracks on the ice of a lake.</font>[/QUOTE]Once again, that is a copy and past from the website. I know nothing about the Green Bay market. I've never been there. I just posted that it's not the first live truck accident there and that it was recent.

[ZuZu's Petals]

Whoops graemlins/eusa_doh.gif

sorry, I forgot about the shallow part of the story.

But NIB - stop being such a putz... Mr. Desert Dweller.
it is common to drive, walk, build fishing huts on frozen lakes.

in wide open spaces... tire tracks in snow ---when everything else is covered in snow... it's reasonable to mistake it for the road.

Chill down!

[CKMD]

Just wanted to add, I was incorrect. Apparently since 1998 Weigel did spring for a second truck. So CBS 58 HAD 2 live trucks... Now they are back to one and it has a mast that doesn't do much for them.

[Spike]

They got it out, and there are PICTURES and VIDEO! (http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/)

Here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/van_images/10.jpg
http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/van_images/07.jpg
http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/van_images/01.jpg
http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/van_images/017.jpg
http://www.dhwebserver.com/cbs/van_images/012.jpg

[ January 30, 2007, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: Spike ]

[Clever Login Name]

Too many jokes, so little time ...

[Kelvin Hemholtz]

I can't believe it's been DAYS and nobody came back with:

Live... IN-DEPTH Coverage!

:D

Glad everyone's OK. Only some pride hurt. It happens.

[Clever Login Name]

Five bucks says the station does some sort of 'investigative' piece on how dangerous and commonplace this sort of thing is, and should there be a push for better signage so as to prevent this kind of 'tragedy' from happening again?

[Y2J]

Originally posted by Clever Login Name:
Five bucks says the station does some sort of 'investigative' piece on how dangerous and commonplace this sort of thing is, and should there be a push for better signage so as to prevent this kind of 'tragedy' from happening again?Well, the original story the photog went to shoot video for was on the dangers of thin ice. Guess they kinda became their own story.

Heard from a friend who works at the CBS station that apparently the GM wasn't amused by a local radio station poking fun at the incident, so he called and had their radio ads pulled. Really now, what does he expect? Did he really think this whole thing wasn't going to wind up the butt end of many jokes from media folks?

[CKMD]

GM J. Hall?
Napoleon?
I can hear the phone coversation in my head. I don't doubt that actually happened.

But, saves them money seeing as radio ads aren't going to help.

[ January 31, 2007, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: Can't Keep Me Down ]

[Roy Hobbs]

Okay Kid...which one of you two is the U-Boat commander?

http://www.autoweb-france.com/img/va/1978.jpg

[Fargin Icehole]

Originally posted by Roy Hobbs:
Okay Kid...which one of you two is the U-Boat commander?

http://www.autoweb-france.com/img/va/1978.jpgThought about posting that quote.
Let's add this too.
http://www.geocities.com/tomcruisees2001/fotosweb/riski.JPG

[Roy Hobbs]

WDJT STUDIOS
February 23, 2017:

New Hire: And what's the deal with that faded old truck back by the dumpster and the transmitter tower?

Chief Photog: Oh yeah, back about 10 years ago when I was a rookie from Wausau somebody drove it into a lake. They towed it back here and it's been sitting there ever since.

Now let me show you our rebuilt Betacam SP edit suite Nexstar just bought us as part of our new ownership change from Weigel...