CONCORD TWP — A bee was blamed for a freak accident Monday morning when a 68-year-old man mowing the lawn ended up overturned in a shallow creek at his home on Route 38 in the township.

Firefighters rescued Mark Haid, who found himself partially trapped under the front-mount, zero-turn riding mower around 10:10 a.m. He was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with an apparent ankle injury that did not appear to be serious.

There were only 4 or 5 inches of water in the creek, Sutton said. But Haid's head was not in the water.

Fire crews wasted little time getting there. Later, Team 300, the county's water rescue team, was notified. The team was subsequently called off.

Firefighters eased him from the mower and he was placed on a stretcher before being taken by Karns City Regional Ambulance to the hospital. The Chicora VFD also assisted.

Neighbors later employed a backhoe to lift the mower out of the creek and up the embankment.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.