Second Florida Landscape Contractor Dies After Mower Pins Him Under Water

For the second time in less than two weeks, a landscape contractor has died in Palm Beach County, Fla., because his lawn mower flipped over into a pond, pinning him underwater.

Eugenio Cannuscio, 46, who lived west of Lake Worth, died as he was working near a pond at a horse-stable property, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities did not immediately know how long he was underwater. A co-worker found an upside-down mower, then saw Cannuscio under it and called for help at 9:10 a.m. A deputy gave Cannuscio CPR but couldn't revive him. Authorities said it appeared Cannuscio drowned, but an autopsy will be conducted.

Such accidents used to happened as often as eight times a year in South Florida, but they declined once the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration began educating landscape companies about two years ago on the dangers of using lawn mowers on slopes, especially near water, said Luis Santiago, director of the agency's Fort Lauderdale office.

Landscape workers are prohibited from riding lawn mowers on slopes, he said. Instead, self-propelled mowers are recommended.

Too often, in mower rollover accidents in water, workers die because they can't swim, Santiago said.

"They drown in a few feet of water," he said. "They work hard but lack basic skills."

OSHA can fine companies as much as $70,000 if they permit their workers to ride on slopes, Santiago said. The name of the company that employed Cannuscio was not released. OSHA is investigating the accident.

Javier Rodriguez, 28, of Boynton Beach also died on Oct. 16 after getting pinned underwater beneath his John Deere lawn mower in the 7600 block of Wood Duck Drive in a development west of Boca Raton. The mower rolled down an embankment and into a lake. A passer-by found the partially submerged tractor and called for help.

Rodriguez, an employee of ANNCO Services, was taken to West Boca Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.