Mower accident kills Charleroi man
WASHINGTON TWP. – A 72-year-old Charleroi man was found dead Wednesday evening after the lawn tractor he was operating rolled over into a pond on Redstone Church Road. Fayette County Deputy Coroner John Kondrla pronounced Robert Lee Cooper dead at the scene at 9:16 p.m.
Deputy Coroner Marissa Springer said the cause of death was compression due to asphyxiation after Cooper’s head became pinned down toward his chest when the tractor rolled onto him.
The death is being ruled an accident, Springer said.
According to officials close to the investigation, Cooper might have been dead for more than a day after he did not return home from mowing the lawn Tuesday evening.
Cooper was last seen by his wife around 5 p.m. Tuesday, according to officials. Cooper left his Charleroi home to mow at the home on Redstone Church Road where he was the caretaker, officials said.
Cooper’s wife told officials she was not concerned when he did not return Tuesday night because he often stayed at the Washington Township home when he was working there, officials said.
According to the coroner’s office, Cooper was mowing around a telephone pole on a zero-turn-radius mower when the tractor rolled down a 10-foot embankment and into the pond.
A zero-turn-radius mower, or Z-mower, differs from conventional lawn tractors because it can turn left or right without moving and increases the risk of rollovers, according to landscapemanagement.net.
Springer said the homeowner discovered the tractor overturned with Cooper pinned underneath and called 911 Wednesday evening.
No autopsy will be conducted in the case, Springer said.
In addition to the coroner’s office, emergency personnel from the Washington Township police and volunteer firefighters from Washington Township and Fayette City responded to the accident.