Rescuers suit up to face the frigid Colorado River waters to save a man who had fallen through the ice.

The accident happened near the I-70 mile marker 22.

Crews plan how to reach the man stranded in to river.

The man was hunting with his dog when he fell through the ice, fire officials say.

The initial plan was to paddle out to the stranded man in a boat.

However, the ice made it impossible for the raft to reach the man.

The victim stayed still with his leg hitched to an ice shelf as he waited.

His dog ran around him, trying to find a way to help. The man was in the icy water for about 25 minutes.

The swimmers used flotation devices to get out to the middle of the river.

However, once there, the flotation device got stuck, so the rescuer abandoned it and climbed onto the ice alone.

Fire officials say their biggest concern in this case was hypothermia.

He helped the man out and walked with him to the opposite shore.

Both the man and his dog were able to walk away from the scene.

An ambulance met the man on the opposite shore to check for hypothermia.

The man was taken to the hospital.

The rescuer also recovered the man's gun.

MESA COUNTY, Colo. (KKCO) – A man's life is saved after rescue crews pull him from the icy waters of the Colorado River.

A 60-year-old man was hunting with his dog Tuesday when the animal fell through the ice while trying to retrieve a duck. His owner chased after his pet and freed it, but he in turn broke the ice and slipped into the water, according to Lower Valley Fire Chief Frank Cavaliere.

Another duck hunter called 911 around 12:15 p.m. near eastbound I-70 at mile marker 22.

For about 25 minutes, the stranded man hung onto the edge of an ice shelf with his leg outside the water as about 20 Lower Valley and Grand Junction firefighters figured out how to rescue him.

Crews tried to paddle a boat out to the man, but the ice made it impossible. Instead, firefighter Ryan Jordan swam out alone and helped him out of the water.

The hunter walked away from the river and was taken to the hospital for hypothermia. Mike Page with the GJFD says he was seriously ill, but the man's family members say he is doing much better as of Wednesday morning.

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