Preble County woman hit, killed by brush cutter

A 74-year-old woman who apparently became disoriented and fell in high weeds was killed Tuesday evening when she was run over by a rotary mower being operated by her husband.

“The weeds were to the point he’d never known she was there until she was struck,” Preble County Sheriff Michael Simpson said.

“It is our understanding she was on the ground, not able to be seen.”

Deputies and a rescue crew were dispatched to the 1800 block of Swishers Mill Road at about 6:25 p.m. on the report of a serious injury accident.

The woman, who is said to have suffered from dementia, was out walking when she apparently became disoriented, Simpson said.

Her husband, who was using the mower called a brush hog, was cutting weeds on their property, which includes several hundred acres. A brush hog is a type of rotary mower, which typically attaches to the back of a farm tractor.

“I don’t know if this one could have been prevented,” the sheriff said. “This is just a very tragic accident.”

An autopsy will be performed at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday, said Simpson, who noted that the sheriff’s office would release the woman’s name sometime Wednesday as well.

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