LOUISVILLE — A Waddington man escaped injury Monday after the truck he was driving fell through the ice just off the causeway near Wilson Hill.

Timothy P. Martin, 53, of 175 McGinnis Road, was going to check on the ice shortly after 3 p.m. when the front end of his 1995 Chevrolet pickup truck fell through, state police said.

“I’m really shocked that it was that thin,” Mr. Martin said. “It went from 12 inches down to four really fast.”

He said that when the ice is 12 inches thick, it’s considered safe to drive on.

“I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” he said, adding he was scouting the ice with plans to bring his camper on it this weekend.

“I guess I can’t do that,” he said, theorizing that stiff winds over the past few days must have broken up the ice. “Last week, I could drive straight to the island,” he said.

While falling through the ice might seem terrifying, Mr. Martin said he was not scared.“I knew how shallow the water was, so I wasn’t worried,” he said.

State police were assisted by Massena Rescue, the Massena and Waddington dive teams and Louisville first responders.

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