Lucas Cole, Donald Cowles, 6-year-old boy, slightly injured after their ATV crashes through ice on China Lake in Kennebec County.

Three people, including a 6-year-old boy, escaped serious injury when the all-terrain vehicle they were on broke through the ice of China Lake. The operator of the ATV, Lucas Cole of Benton, was trapped in the water for about five minutes and suffered hypothermia and frostbite. The 25-year-old Cole stated that he went under the water three times before his friend, Donald Cowles, pulled him free. Cowles threw his 6-year-old nephew to safety first. All three were treated at the hospital. Most of the lake is frozen solid, and even though Cole was following a snowmobile trail, the ATV went through the ice near an inlet on the lake’s northern shore where moving water created a weak spot. No charges are expected.