Green Bay city worker dies

GREEN BAY - A Green Bay city employee has died after being trapped under a lawn mower.

Donna Lucht, 50, was mowing a section of grass Tuesday along West Mason and Country Club Road. It is believed there was a possible issue with her 1,700-pound riding lawn mower.

"Preliminarily it appears she was attempting some maintenance on the lawn mower itself,” explained Public Works Director Ed Wiesner. “The lawn mower was up in the terraced area, she was found in the roadway by the curb, and it appears that the mower somehow rolled back and pinned her."

According to a release from the city, Lucht was able to call 911, but was unable to tell dispatchers her location because of difficulty breathing. She was working alone.

Wiesner says Lucht was no stranger to mowing and knew her way around a lawn mower.

Once on scene, Green Bay fire rescue performed CPR and transported her to St. Vincent Hospital.

The Brown County medical examiner says Lucht passed away Tuesday night from her injuries and the investigation into her death is underway.

A “great employee”

Lucht worked for the city for 22 years - 14 in the public works department.

In a statement, Mayor Jim Schmitt says the city is deeply saddened by the loss, saying:

"Donna was a loyal, caring employee who will be missed by city employees and the Green Bay community. We continue to pray for her family during this extremely difficult time."

Wiesner says Lucht's loss is hitting the department hard.

"It's a very tragic accident, one that our employees are taking very hard," said Wiesner. "We're taking all the steps we can to make sure our employees have grief counselors available and be able to work through this difficult time for our organization."

Wiesner says the city has notified the state Department of Safety and Professional Services. It will be doing an investigation into the incident along with the city.

There will be a visitation for Lucht on Friday from 4-7 p.m. at Blaney Funeral Home in Green Bay. On Saturday, there will be a visitation from 9-11 a.m. at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church. The funeral service will follow.

Lucht is survived by her children, grandchildren, mother and brothers.