Arvada employee dies after lawnmower overturns, pins him underwater
An Arvada city employee who was pinned underwater by a mower that overturned into Birdland Lake has died, officials announced Wednesday.
Joe Herrin died early Wednesday, six days after the incident, officials said. He joined the city’s park maintenance division in May 2018.
“These have been painful and sad times for the City of Arvada, our team members and citizens,” Mayor Marc Williams said in a news release. “We are further saddened by the death of Joe Herrin, who was a valued member of our City team. We offer our sincere condolences to his wife and family, and his teammates and friends”
Herrin was operating a mower July 22 when it overturned into the lake at Jack B. Tomlinson Park and pinned him underwater for an undisclosed amount of time, according to the city. Emergency crews went to the area and successfully extricated Herrin.
Arvada Fire Protection District crews performed advanced life support before he was transported to Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge.
Officials said the city has initiated a process to learn from the accident and help ensure it does not occur again.
The Arvada Police Department has opened an investigation to determine what happened. When it’s completed, the city will conduct an internal safety assessment to identify steps to improve workplace safety and prevent similar accidents, according to the release.
Arvada will compensate Herrin’s family with medical and lost-wage benefits, which is consistent with the state’s workers compensation system, city officials said.