A city employee mowing along the banks of Haw Creek in the 500 block of Central Avenue suffered a minor arm injury after his tractor flipped into the creek from a steep bank.
A city Department of Public Works Driver, Kevin Russell, was taken to the hospital to be checked out after the 10:30 a.m. Tuesday accident, but had returned to work by that afternoon, department director Bryan Burton said.
Columbus police, firefighters and city employees worked to remove the tractor, which had an enclosed cab, from the creek, which had less than a foot of water in it but was extremely muddy, said Lt. Matt Harris, Columbus Police Department spokesman.
Russell had just finished mowing a large area along the creek and was heading back, pulling the mowing deck when the tractor flipped on the steep bank, Harris said. Having the enclosed cab prevented him from being injured more seriously, he said.
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Firefighters cleaned up a small oil spill from the tractor, and tow trucks were used to remove the tractor from the creek. One lane of Central Avenue was closed briefly as the tractor was pulled from the creek, Harris said.
The tractor had minor damage — one of the glass doors was broken out and an oil seal on the front wheel had some damage, Burton said. But other than that, the rest of the mess would be taken care of with a power wash to get the mud off the vehicle, he said.
