Shortly before noon on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, the Salina Fire Department was dispatched to Oakdale Park for a reported water rescue involving a City of Salina employee operating a zero-turn lawnmower that had been found in the river, with a person possibly trapped beneath it.
Upon arrival, Salina Fire Department crews found that the patient had been extricated from beneath the mower and removed from the river by officers with the Salina Police Department, Fire Department personnel immediately began advanced life support measures at the scene.
The patient was transported by the Salina Fire Department to Salina Regional Health Center where the patient was ultimately pronounced deceased.
No additional details are being released at this time.
