ROCK ISLAND - John Hunt could barely keep his head above water. Literally. Several weeks ago, while driving his zero- turn mower near a lake, the levee collapsed beneath him. He was trapped underwater with his belt wrapped around the right steering controller.
He was able to shift the mower just enough to get his mouth above water. After about 20 minutes, he was still trapped and alone.
Fighting exhaustion, he con - tinued to rock the mower and fi nally freed one leg, but still had no leverage to move the mower off of him. He was able to reach his phone and call Colorado County 911 dispatcher Katlyn Perales, who dispatched deputies and the Rock Island VFD and kept him calm while help arrived.
Colorado County Deputy Andrew Lopez, followed by Sergeants Ryan Thomas and Benjamen Melendez, and the Rock Island VFD, where Hunt was freed by attaching a rope to a truck and pulling it slowly out of the water.
