COTTONWOOD — An ATV carrying three people went into Cottonwood Lake very early Sunday morning. While all three people were able to escape, the ATV driver faces charges of driving while impaired and criminal vehicular operation, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office said.

A complaint filed Monday in Lyon County District Court alleges that Robert Neil Danielson, 58, of Cottonwood, was driving the ATV while under the influence of alcohol. Danielson appeared at a hearing Monday morning.

The accident on Cottonwood Lake wasn’t the only incident of vehicles going through the ice this weekend. On Saturday, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office issued a thin ice warning on Lake Hanska after a UTV broke through the ice east of Geiger’s Point. There were no injuries reported in the Lake Hanska accident.

Around 12:27 a.m. Sunday, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a sinking vehicle in Cottonwood Lake, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies, along with the Cottonwood Fire Department and Ambulance, responded to the scene and found a side-by-side ATV in the water. Three people – two adult males and a juvenile female – were able to exit the vehicle and walk to shore.

Cottonwood residents called in the accident, and were able to open the nearby Christ Lutheran Church building to help get the three people out of the cold, Sheriff Eric Wallen said.

The occupants of the ATV were treated by emergency responders. The two adults were then transported to Avera Marshall Medical Center for additional treatment of their injuries, and released, the Sheriff’s Office said. The juvenile female was uninjured, and was released to family members.

The driver of the ATV was subsequently arrested for suspicion of criminal vehicular operation, the Sheriff’s Office said.

A criminal complaint filed in Lyon County District Court said the ATV passengers told law enforcement they had been driving on the ice to see who was out fishing on Cottonwood Lake. Danielson allegedly told a deputy that he had driven into an open spot on the ice. Deputies alleged that Danielson had an odor of alcohol and slurred speech.

Danielson appeared in custody in Lyon County District Court on Monday morning, court records said. He was charged with criminal vehicular operation, and driving while under the influence of alcohol.

In a news release, the Sheriff’s Office also warned the public that the ice on lakes and rivers is never 100% safe. Ice thickness will vary across a body of water, and there is also the chance of areas of open water even when most of a lake is frozen over. The Sheriff’s Office said people going out onto the ice need to use “extreme caution” and have safety plans.

The Sheriff’s Office also thanked Cottonwood residents for their help in calling in Sunday’s accident and assisting the people in the ATV.