UNION COUNTY, N.C. -- A man died Thursday afternoon after he was pinned under a lawnmower in Union County, according to the sheriff's office.
It happened in the 3200 block of Austin Chaney Road at Midstate Aviation. Investigators said 75-year-old Charles Wayne Arant of Wingate was riding a Hustler zero turn mower when it slid down a ravine and overturned.
Authorities told NBC Charlotte a man riding another mower found Arant trapped under the machine and called for help. Fire, EMS and deputies responded to the scene and freed Arant, but he was pronounced dead.
Union County Sheriff spokesperson Tony Underwood said this isn’t the first time they’ve gotten a call like this.
“On occasion it’s fatal, such as this. And it’s a tragic incident,” he said.
According to the Amputee Coalition -- 20,000 people are injured in lawn mowing accidents each year. 800 are children who are accidentally run over, and 600 of those cases result in some sort of amputation.
Tyler Alexander was just 5-years-old he slipped out of his Michigan home when his parents weren’t looking. Tyler was run over by his father’s lawnmower. Two of his toes were amputated and he lost several bones in his right foot.
The sheriff’s office reminded everyone that even when mowing lawn, you can’t take your safety for granted.
“You’re still operating a piece of machinery that’s very dangerous,” Underwood explained.