A Groveland man died Saturday after the tractor he was using to mow his lawn overturned into a lake bordering his property.
David J. McClelland, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:40 p.m. after the tractor landed on top of him in the water, Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover said in a news release.
A neighbor saw the tractor in the water and called authorities. Another neighbor reported last hearing the mower running about 11 a.m.
An autopsy revealed that McClelland, whose body was found pinned under a mowing tractor Saturday, did not drown.
“From the preliminary results it looks like he died of a heart attack,” said Conover Monday evening. “We have to wait for the toxicology screen and microscopic samples to come back to be sure. There was no indication of drowning.”
McClelland had been riding on the tractor with a mower deck attached, Conover said.
“It appears that the tractor didn’t flip until after it had entered the water,” said Conover. “There is a drop-off where the tractor entered the lake which may have caused the tractor to flip.”
McClelland’s residence sits on one acre of land near Bessler Lake, located just off Whispering Oaks Drive.
