Ashley, Ill., man killed in mowing accident

A 59-year-old Ashley man was killed Thursday after the tractor he was operating overturned on the bank of a pond and trapped him underwater.

Washington County Coroner Mark Styninger identified the victim as David L. Paszkiewicz. Emergency crews were summoned to the scene on Sugar Creek Road in rural Ashley at 8:40 p.m. Paskiewicz was recovered by Ashley firefighters and was pronounced dead at 9:20 p.m.

Styninger said Friday Paszkiewicz left home at noon to mow the property on Sugar Creek Road. He had not returned home by 8 p.m., so family members contacted the owner of the land where Paszkiewicz was working. The land owner discovered the overturned tractor and called authorities.

Styninger did not have a cause of death as of Friday afternoon. He said he didn’t know how long Paszkiewicz had been underwater or how deep the water was where Paszkiewicz was pinned beneath the tractor.

An autopsy will not be performed, Styninger said.

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Ashley, Ill., man killed in mowing accident."