Man trapped in water under riding lawnmower dies in Harvey County, sheriff says

Update, Thursday 2:40 p.m.

The man who died in a lawnmower accident in Harvey County was identified by officials as Mark Olsen, 68, of Elbing.

Olsen had been mowing grass for a homeowner in an area south of Newton when he “lost control of the lawnmower, falling into the culvert. Olsen was pinned in the culvert under the lawnmower,” the sheriff’s office said in a release.

Olsen drowned in the 2 to 3 feet of water in the culvert, the sheriff’s office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation ruled the death to be accidental.

Original story:

A man died after he was trapped under a lawnmower in a ditch with water in Harvey County, officials said.

Emergency crews were called at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday to the 5800 block of South Kansas Avenue south of Newton, Harvey County Sheriff Chad Gay said in a press release. A man was found in a ditch with 2 to 3 feet of water, trapped under a mower.

“The man appeared to have been mowing around a culvert when the mower tipped and trapped him underneath,” Gay said. “The man perished as a result of the accident. His exact cause of death is unknown.”

A Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said the mower was a riding lawnmower.

The man’s name was not released pending family notification.

This story was originally published July 25, 2018 at 4:24 PM.