Neighbors help recover a riding lawn mower that overturned into a shallow creek about 10:10 a.m. Monday at a home on Route 38 in Concord Township. Mark Haid was cutting his lawn when the mower went down an embankment and into the creek. Haid was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital with an apparent ankle injury

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, according to firefighters.

“He was mowing along the bank and a bee landed on him,” said Travis Sutton, an assistant chief with the North Washington Volunteer Fire Department. “He went to swat it away and the zero-turn jerked and landed in the water.”

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

“Praise the Lord he's not seriously hurt,” said Haid's wife, Ila Lombardo. She thanked her neighbors, volunteer firefighters and ambulance crews for helping.

“I can't thank all of them enough,” she said. “I have such great neighbors.”

Haid had been mowing for 20 to 30 minutes and Lombardo did not immediately know of her husband's predicament.

“I was weed whacking with ear protection on,” she said, “and I didn't even know what happened.”

A neighbor across the street heard Haid calling for help.

“She could hear him,” Lombardo said of the neighbor, “but I couldn't.”

Lombardo hurried to be with her husband and the neighbor called 911.

“His foot was twisted up, and he was in pain,” Lombardo said.

Fire crews wasted little time getting there. Team 300, the county's water rescue team, was later notified, but subsequently called off by dispatchers.

“His foot was caught between the floorboard and the seat,” Sutton said. “It looked like his right ankle was badly twisted.”

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

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