CHAIN REACTION ON THIN ICE. “A chain reaction panic saw nearly a dozen people fall through thin ice into a US lake. The desperate cries for help began when one man on a sledging excursion in Wrightwood, California, fell through the ice. Others frantically tried to rescue him, but one-by-one they plunged into the icy water themselves.” Stay off the ice unless you’re really sure of it. And if someone falls in, try throwing them a rope, and if you must try to cross the ice yourself, spread your weight out and slither.