FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO):  A man nearly drowned after his riding lawnmower flipped into a retention pond. 

26 year old Robert Houser Jr. of Fort Wayne was doing landscaping work in the West Chester Lakes Subdivision.  While mowing the grass, his riding lawnmower slid down an embankment and into a retention pond, pinning him under the water.  

Co-workers were able to pull him from the water and begin CPR, but it's not know how long he was underwater.  When the Fort Wayne Fire Department arrived they were able to take over rescue efforts.  Houser was transported to Lutheran Hospital in critical condition.