Fillmore man spends more than 24 hours stuck in mud

FILLMORE -- A Marion Township man was stuck in mud for more than a day following a Wednesday mowing accident.

At 2:50 p.m. Thursday, the Fillmore Community Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to County Road 300 South on a report of a man in his 70s who had been stuck in a mud hole since Wednesday.

Fillmore VFD Capt. Darrell Bunten said responders found Clyde Neier in mud up to his knees, having been there since the previous afternoon.

At some point between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday, Neier was mowing at the edge of a ravine when his zero turn radius mower began to slide down the embankment.

Neier was ejected from the mower and landed in a low spot filled with mud.

The depth and consistency of the mud left Neier immobile.

A neighbor reported Neier's predicament to authorities after checking on his well being Thursday afternoon.

The same neighbor had stopped to check on Neier the previous afternoon. Not finding Neier, the neighbor assumed he was was busy elsewhere on the property.

When the neighbor got no answer at the door for a second straight day, a more in-depth search was in order. He eventually found Neier in the ravine near the back of the property.

Bunten said emergency workers found Neier cold, dehydrated and weak, but complaining of no pain after being exposed to the elements for more than 24 hours.

After retrieving Neier from the mud, firefighters got him in a basket and transported him to a waiting Operation Life ambulance, which took him to Putnam County Hospital for further examination and treatment.