Man found dead under lawn mower in northwest Indiana

A man was found dead under a lawn mower Saturday morning in Porter Township, Indiana.

Thomas Wilkening, 49, was mowing by a pond behind his home about 9 p.m. Friday at 450 South, according to the Porter County Coroner.

His family was at home and out of sight of Wilkening. They checked on him about three hours later when they saw that the barn lights were still one, the coroner said.

They found Wilkening at the base of a culvert under a riding lawn mower, the coroner said. Authorities were called to the scene at 12:50 a.m. and pronounced him dead.

The Porter County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies were investigating the accident, according to the coroner.