Texan dies after riding lawnmower goes into pond

[July 01, 2014]  HOUSTON (Reuters) - An 80-year-old East Texas man died when he drove his sit-down lawnmower into a pond and was pinned down under water by the machine, police said on Monday.

Billy Huffines was pronounced dead on Saturday in Fannett, about 70 miles (115 kms) east of Houston, after fire department medics were unable to resuscitate him.

"There's been a lot of rain over here and there's a possibility that the wheels of a tractor, or a mower like that, dig into the mud and inertia can pull it over if the edge slopes downward like a ditch," said Deputy Rod Carroll of the Jefferson County Sheriff's office said.

Huffines was mowing the lawn on his property. An autopsy was being conducted, he said.

(Reporting by Amanda Orr; Writing by Jon Herskovitz)

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