Lake Villa man dies after ATV falls into water

Authorities say man was riding ATV on Druce Lake when it broke through thin ice

police car

THIRD LAKE – A Lake Villa area man died March 2 after his ATV broke through the ice on Druce Lake, police said.

About 4:05 p.m. March 2, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Druce Lake in Third Lake for a report of an ATV that drove through thin ice, according to a news release.

Within two minutes of being dispatched to the call, deputies observed a person in the water who went underwater. One of the sheriff’s deputies used an area resident’s rowboat to go to the area in the water they last saw the man.

Shortly after, a fire department diver arrived and the sheriff’s deputy on the rowboat directed him to where he last saw the man. The diver found the man about 6 feet below the surface and attached a rope to him. Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies used the rope to pull the man to shore, according to the release.

The man was identified as 62-year-old Rodney Allard of unincorporated Lake Villa, who lives just east of the lake, police said. He was not breathing, so paramedics and sheriff’s deputies conducted CPR. Paramedics took Allard to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. He was pronounced dead hours after the incident, according to the release.

Preliminary investigation shows that Allard was operating an ATV on the lake. Witnesses said he was the only person on the ATV. As Allard approached the center of the lake, the rear of the ATV broke through the ice and then the entire ATV broke through the thin ice into the water, police said.

On March 3, an autopsy was completed at the Lake County Coroner’s Office. Preliminary autopsy results indicate Allard died from drowning.