A 2007 graduate of Wawasee High School in Syracuse is in the ICU in critical condition following a mowing accident that led to a near drowning in Fort Wayne.

Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the accident that happened at approximately 12:03 p.m. today.

Robert Houser Jr., 26, now a resident of Fort Wayne, was mowing grass for a landscaping company in the West Chester Lakes Subdivision when the accident happened. Indiana Conservation Officers say Houser was operating a riding lawnmower near the edge of a retention pond when the mower slid down the embankment and into the water. Houser was pinned underneath the tractor, under the water.

Although his co-workers discovered him and were able to free Houser, it was not known how long he had been under water. The co-workers called 911 and began CPR under Fort Wayne Fire Department personnel arrived and took over rescue efforts.

Houser remains in Lutheran Hospital in critical condition.