Maine man fell into icy waters trying to save a deer. Then he and the deer were rescued.

A Princeton man who tried to rescue a deer that fell through the ice on Long Lake on Monday needed a helping hand himself when he fell into the icy waters.

Rick Crowe, 63, donned a life jacket and took out a canoe onto Long Lake in Princeton after he saw a deer had fallen through the ice, according to Mark Latti, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

But when he got out onto the lake his canoe overturned about 8:30 a.m., sending him into the frigid waters.

Crowe’s wife, Tina, called Game Warden Brad Richard, who brought the warden service’s airboat from the nearby Princeton Airport and Princeton Fire Chief Tony Ramsdell and Princeton Firefighter Chris McPhee, according to Latti.

The three men crossed the lake to reach Crowe, who was still conscious but suffering from “severe” hypothermia, Latti said. His body temperature had fallen to 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Hypothermia can set in when a person’s body temperature falls to 95 degrees, and a body temperature below 90 degrees can be life-threatening.

Crowe was taken to Calais Regional Hospital.

The deer also was rescued.

Princeton is northwest of Calais.