Father-son hockey game leads to fall through ice
By Frank Abderholden fabderholden@stmedianetwork.com February 20, 2012 7:48PM
Family members and friends sit outside the pond where Patrick "Rocko" Rorig fell through the ice playing ice hockey with his son in Johnsburg, Illinois. His son managed to get to shore safely and rescue workers called to the scene yesterday, found the man after searching for about 30 minutes. Authorities say he was pronounced dead at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. | Al Podgorski~Chicago Sun-Times
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Updated: April 21, 2012 1:15AM
A custom home builder died at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville after he fell through the ice and drowned Sunday night on a subdivision pond where he had been playing hockey with one of his sons.
Patrick Rorig, 47, of Johns-burg was pronounced dead at Condell after he was flown by Flight for Life from his McHenry County subdivision.
“He was a family man, everything revolved around the family,” said Peg Schmidt, his older sister.
Rorig and his wife, Cynthia, have three boys ages 11 to 21 years old. Rorig was the owner and president of Rorig Homes with more than 20 years of homebuilding experience.
Before the accident, Rorig told his 14-year-old son: “ ‘This is the last time we’ll be able to play hockey this year. Let’s strap them on,’ ” according to Thomas Popovich, a family friend.
Every year he would groom the ice on the pond, buy sticks for everybody, and everybody in the neighborhood would play bruising games of hockey,” Popovich said.
His death was the second in February in the Johnsburg area from falling through ice. The body of ice fisherman Justin Ribar, 29, of Wonder Lake, was recovered from Pistakee Lake on Feb. 3, authorities said.
Four children were rescued by neighbors last week in Third Lake after they fell through ice on a pond. They were treated by Grayslake paramedics.
According to McHenry County Fire Protection District officials, emergency personnel received a call just after 6 p.m. for a man through the ice on the 3700 block of Windmere Lane just behind Rorig’s home. He fell through about 10 feet from the edge of the pond.
A second alarm was called to bring more divers to the scene. They searched around the hole in the ice and found Rorig after about 31 minutes.
Advanced life support treatment was initiated by paramedics and he was taken to a waiting helicopter that flew him to the hospital. The son was not injured.
Fire district officials said the unusually warm winter has created unsafe ice conditions. The temperature Sunday night was just barely below freezing.
Sun-Times Media contributed to this report
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