Woman dies after mower rolls on her

TRAGEDY: A person has died after being pinned by a mower on a property in Three Mile Bush Rd, Kamo, yesterday.PHOTO/MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

A Whangarei woman has died after police say she was trapped in a creek by a mower rolling on top of her.

Police, the Fire Service and ambulance were called to a property on Three Mile Bush Rd, Kamo, about 2.45pm yesterday after reports of a lawnmower accident.

Sergeant Mark Andrews, of Whangarei police, said the 69-year-old woman was dead when emergency services arrived at the large private property. Fire crews from Kamo and Whangarei, backed by the Fire Service support unit attended.

Mr Andrews said while the exact circumstances of the accident were still being investigated, the woman was on a large ride-on lawnmower which appeared to have gone about 10m down a fairly steep bank, before going a further 5m into a creek.

He said it appeared the mower then landed on its side on top of the woman, pinning her underneath. At edition time yesterday police were still gathering evidence. It was unclear at that stage how long she had been trapped before the alarm was raised, but the woman was mowing her own lawn and was found by her husband.

Mr Andrew said the large mower was lifted from the creek using a tow truck winch.

Police will be investigating the death on behalf of the coroner.

No further details of the circumstances of the death or the identity of the victim were available, with the name likely to be released today after next of kin had been informed.

National health and safety body WorkSafe NZ had not been notified about the death by edition time yesterday.

"Of course that doesn't mean we won't be at some stage - but so far we have not been notified and so have no knowledge or involvement," a WorkSafe spokesman said.

It is the second fatal lawnmower accident in just over a week.

Peter Ross Bailey, known as Ross Bailey, died when he was pinned under his ride-on lawnmower in a small creek on his rural Taranaki property on October 25.