WATERVILLE — A man was taken to the hospital after tipping over on his riding lawn mower Wednesday morning.

Rescue personnel were called to a house on Ashley Terrace around 11:09 a.m. after a neighbor, who was outside working on his lawn, heard the mower suddenly turn off, said Waterville-Winslow Fire Chief David LaFountain.

The older man was mowing along a steep embankment at the side of his yard when the mower tipped over, sending him into the brush at the bottom of the embankment, LaFountain said. The mower got stuck at the base of nearby trees, he said.

The man was taken to MaineGeneral’s Thayer Center for Health, and LaFountain said he didn’t know the extent of his injuries. The man might have had a pre-existing health condition, so emergency responders were taking precautions, he said.

Fire and rescue personnel used an extrication strap to remove the lawn mower, which was upside down and leaking gas.

Madeline St. Amour can be contacted at 861-9239 or at:

mstamour@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @madelinestamour