Man dies after falling through ice into Middleborough pond

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A 59-year-old man has died after falling through the ice today while skating at a Middleborough pond.

Andrews Borovietz died at Tobey Hospital in Wareham, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Fire Captain Jim Wiksten said police received a call at 11:11 a.m. from a woman who said her husband had told her he was going skating on Tispaquin Pond. The woman said the man had been gone for about an hour and she couldn't see him anywhere on the pond.

Firefighters raced to the pond, found the man, and brought him to shore, said Wiksten. The two firefighters involved in the rescue were also taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Wiksten said.

Borovietz's stepson, Richard Lomba, 30, said, "He loved life. It's a terrible tragedy. Everyone loved to be around him."

Jerry D'Amato, who lives on the lake, said he heard a fire department rescue boat out on the water and stepped out to take a look. D'Amato said he sees rescue boats making practice runs on the pond a few times each year, but today's run was different.

"I noticed two firemen on the ice and one in the water. When they got the gentleman in the boat, I never seen the boat go so fast," he said.

Wiksten said the snow-covered ice on the pond was "just not good ice. ... It hasn't been cold enough."

State officials urged people on Friday to check the strength and thickness of the ice before they venture out onto lakes, ponds, and streams.

Globe correspondent Adam Sell contributed to this report.

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