FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office identified the two men involved in a UTV crash on the ice of Lake Winnebago.
Mike Huffman and Clay Creighton were riding in a UTV on the lake when their Saturday afternoon turned tragic after the vehicle went into a crack in the ice.
The 57-year-old Huffman was driving the UTV when it fell into the large crack just after noon. He said there were no trees or markers in the vicinity to indicate the crack's presence.
He told NBC 26, "This is just nothing more than a freak accident. It just came up too fast, and that was just it. We were both out of the machine and in the water, and nobody came by. There was nobody that came by for a long time."
For more than 20 minutes, Huffman tried to flag people down. When bystanders arrived, he said they pulled Clay Creighton out of the water first and attempted chest compressions.
Once Huffman's strength began to wane, the bystanders pulled him out.
"I wasn't able to get myself out, but thanks to them, because they saved my life," he said.
Watch: Survivor, family, friends remember boater who died in UTV ice crash
First responders arrived too late, held up by the size of the crack in the ice, and Clay was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mike was discharged from the hospital Monday night after being treated for hypothermia for two days. He told NBC 26, "My head's still swimming from the accident [...] It's just a horrible tragedy."
His good friend Clay had been a member of the nearby Fond du Lac Yacht Club for nearly three decades, joining in 1996. Members there say they'll remember his warm sense of humor.
"He always had a great dry quip," one member said, as well as his hard work.
"Clay was very handy," said Cheryl O'Grady-Ritchie, the club's commodore. "He could fabricate anything. You'd say, 'Gee, I would love to have new lights out in front of the yacht club.' Well, a month later, we had beautiful lights hanging outside that were industrial strength. And he would just say, 'Okay,' and they would appear, and they would be beautiful."
"He always came in and had a good mood," Christine Cohen said. "And if you needed help with anything, Clay was always there to help you."
O'Grady-Ritchie also remembered the thought and energy Creighton and his friends put into club events, like the Rock the Docks summer party and accompanying shrimp boil.
"They were actually able to book [the band] Sonic Circus for our small, little yacht club," O'Grady-Ritchie said, "and we had an incredible event that everyone still talks about today."
Clay's wife, Donna Creighton, told NBC 26 on Monday, "He was a great dad, a wonderful grandpa. The kids miss him deeply. He had a great, caring family and truly enjoyed life."
Donna added, "He's deeply missed. It was just a horrible accident."
The yacht club says a visitation for Clay will be here in Fond du Lac on Saturday, as friends and family celebrate his life.
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