Lawn mower accident kills 74-year-old man

MONTEVALLO, Ala. -- An Alabama man has died in what local outlets are calling a freak lawn mower accident on his property.

Chilton County sheriff's deputies say 74-year-old Larry Smitherman was killed while trying to disentangle a garden hose from his bush hog. His wife told investigators she found him under the mower.

CBS Birmingham affiliate WIAT reports that deputies believe Smitherman hoisted and crawled underneath the mower, which weighs nearly a thousand pounds.

Officials say it appears the mower lowered itself onto Smitherman as he tried to untangle the hose, which had wrapped around one of the blades.

Smitherman was a pharmacist and owned Smitherman's Pharmacy in Montevallo.

Montevallo is about 37 miles south of Birmingham.