UPDATE: Islander saved in off-shore rescue recalls ordeal

Three lives were saved Monday — two human and one canine — rescued from below freezing water off Shell Beach through quick, efficient and coordinated work by all of Shelter Island’s first responder units.

It started as a normal winter Monday for Lan My Do, who lives in Silver Beach with her husband Cary Tamarkin, as she got Archie, their one-and-half-year-old Labradoodle ready for a walk on Shell Bach. It was a bright but bitterly cold day with the temperature at 23 degrees and winds out of the north-northwest at 29 mph, making it feel more like 6 degrees.

At about 9:30 a.m., Archie bounded along the dunes and then headed out on the ice at the shoreline. He soon fell through the ice as Ms. Do watched helplessly, horrified from the beach as her dog struggled for his life about 100 feet offshore. She immediately called Animal Control Officer Jenny Zahler, whom she knows, and Mr. Tamarkin. At home, Mr. Tamarkin said he called 911, threw on some clothes and headed for the beach.

“I knew I shouldn’t go in,” Ms. Do said on Tuesday morning. “Seeing him struggling for his life, though, I had to try and help him.”

At the same time as she went out carefully on the ice, their friend Johnny Tran, who often walks his dog on the beach, pulled up. 

Ms. Do found a long piece of wood and went gingerly out on the ice, hoping to use the wood for Archie to take in his mouth so she could guide him to safety. She described the stress of seeing her beloved pet panicking, scraping at the ice with his paws, the fear he was experiencing fighting to stay afloat in the water, which was reported to be 32 degrees, right at the freezing mark. 

On her stomach, moving slowly, the worst happened. The ice gave way under her and she was in the freezing water, and when she reached Archie he began fighting her.

“I floated on my back and was screaming for help,” Ms. Do said.

She was joined in the water by Mr. Tran, who had come to her aid, but now was in serious trouble himself. The friends were growing weaker by the moment. 

“It was the most horrendous, horrific thing you can imagine,” Mr.  Tamarkin said, as he watched his wife and friend in a life-or-death fight more than 30 yards off shore. As he was planning his next move, he said, “There were sirens, flashing lights and lots of people at the beach, ready to help.”

Chief Read said all Island departments responded to the scene, including Police, Fire, Emergency Medical Services and the Highway Department. He noted that Highway Superintendent Ken Lewis Jr. and employee Ron Anderson were essential figures in the rescue.

Officer Taylor Rando and Animal Control Officer (ACO) Jenny Zahler operated from land at Shell Beach, while Police Officer Glenn Kehl and Marine Patrol Officer Beau Payne responded by police boat. “Working together, they were able to rescue both individuals and the dog, who had been in the water for approximately 15 to 20 minutes,” the chief said.

Mr. Tamarkin said, his voice breaking with emotion, that once on the beach, “Lan couldn’t move her body. She couldn’t talk.” 

Ms. Do and Mr. Tran were put in heated vehicles and evaluated by EMS personal and Fire Department volunteers who also helped with their care before being transported to Eastern Long Island Hospital.

Mr. Tran was released from the hospital later Monday in good condition and Ms. Do, held overnight, was released on Tuesday. “It’s almost exactly 24 hours since we were in the water,” Ms. Do said with a sense of wonder, as she waited for paperwork to be completed.

She was in good form, but still a bit overwhelmed from her ordeal. She thanked, several times, as did Mr. Tamarkin, all of the first responders who came to her and Mr. Tran’s and Archie’s rescue. As Chief Read said simply, “Their lives were saved.”

ACO Zahler said Archie’s “body temperature had dropped several degrees below what’s normal for a dog.” She took him to Island veterinarian Dr. Nancy Mullady in the Center. “It’s important to warm animals, slowly,” the ACO said. “We dried him off as best we could with towels and let him heat up naturally in a warm room. After a few hours he was able to go home.” 

Ms. Do wanted to tell folks to be extremely careful around ice. “We all know about being careful around frozen puddles, but remember any kind of ice is really dangerous.”