The only thing Jake Drahota could hear Mike (no last name provided) tell his family as they arrived was that he kept praying because he thought he was going to die. His rescue could be best described as providential. Drahota was simply in the right place at the right time. 

A Call For Help

Drahota, a resident of Becker Township, was on call for jury duty on Wed., Feb. 11. He had checked in and because he was not immediately needed, he decided to go fishing. He arrived at Big Elk Lake at around 3 p.m. near the boat landing where most people were fishing, but after a while of not catching anything, he decided to move. Around 5 p.m., he made it to the other side of the lake, near a lone portable icehouse. He decided to set up about 200 yards from the other icehouse. Taking another look at it, something did not seem right — it was leaning slightly.

As he moved closer to investigate, he began to hear a voice. Drahota said he could not understand what the voice was saying, but he could hear the panic in his voice. With his phone in hand, he was about to call for help when he finally saw what was happening.  Mike (the man in the icehouse) was waist-deep in the water, drifting in and out of consciousness, and holding onto his shelter. Drahota rushed in, squatted, and grabbed him by his shoulders, and pulled him out. He brought the man to his truck, loaded him in, and started it. Drahota then pulled off his boots and socks and felt his legs because he knew, “that’s what you’re supposed to do in these situations.”

Mike, now more awake, asked him not to call an ambulance. Drahota could see that he was beginning to warm up and speak clearly. He wanted to call Mike’s family, but Mike thought he had lost his phone in the hole he was using to spear fish.  Drahota went back to the shelter and eventually found it.  Mike called his son and his wife, who would eventually come to pick him up.  Drahota sat with Mike for another 15 minutes before going back to his spot. He told him to honk if he needed him.

Reflections

It was just getting dark when the family arrived. The first phone call Drahota made was to his dad, Travis. While on the call, a small northern pike struck his dead stick. He pulled it in and then released it, one of two fish he caught that day. 

When this reporter asked him about what happened, Drahota replied, “You never see that happen. I just swung into action.”

When asked why he did what he did, Drahota said, “When someone’s in distress, you always help.”

He reflected on the situation. He knew the sun was going down and that the man was having trouble yelling. Later, he discovered he had Parkinson’s. Mike had already been in the water for two hours before Drahota arrived. If he did not save him, no one else would have. 

Drahota has not heard about Mike’s condition since that fateful Wednesday. He did not have the opportunity to obtain any contact information from Mike or his family to follow up, but he hopes he is well and that he hears from him again.