Landscaper killed after mower overturns on sloped terrain

A landscaper died on Friday after his zero-turn mower overturned on a slope.

Sammy Craig, 32, had been mowing at the apartment complex Stonebridge at the Ranch in Little Rock, Arkansas. The mower tipped over on a steep, grassy embankment and fell into a creek nearby.

According to the police, the mower tumbled 5 to 6 feet before landing on the “rock bottom of the creek.”

Two Stonebridge at the Ranch employees and a fellow landscaper rushed to lift the mower off of Craig and managed to pull him out of the creek. One attempted to perform CPR on the man, but he was unable to revive him.

Little Rock police arrived on site about 9 a.m. Lt. Steve McClanahan told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette that Craig was not killed by the mower’s blade. It remained unclear whether the landscaper drowned while trapped under the mower or if the impact of the fall killed him.

The Pulaski County coroner’s office removed the body and transported it to the state crime laboratory so that cause of death can be determined, police reported.

It will be ruled an accident, according to McClanahan, but there had been no word from the medical examiner Monday on the cause of death.

Land Design Landscaping, Craig’s employer, had no comment about the death when contacted.

For some practical tips on zero-turn mower safety when working around slopes, click here.