A 36-year-old man died Thursday after falling into a pond while doing yardwork at his home on Hibbs Road in South Columbus, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Family members tried to pull him from the water but couldn't, and a passerby stopped to help before medics arrived and rushed him to a hospital, where he later died.
What Happened on Hibbs Road
According to a Franklin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, the man fell into the pond just before 10 a.m. Thursday while doing yardwork at his home, as first reported by myfox28columbus.com. Family members found him in the water and attempted to pull him out themselves but were unable to, the spokesperson said. A passerby then stopped to help before medics arrived on scene.
Medics performed CPR and transported the man to a hospital, where he later died. The outlet's report notes the incident occurred Thursday morning, though it does not specify further details about the pond's depth, slope, or whether any medical issue or equipment problem contributed to the man being unable to get out of the water on his own.
A Semi-Rural Corridor With Recent Attention
Scioto Grove Metro Park is a 620-acre county park along the Scioto River whose southern canoe launch sits at 282 Hibbs Road in Lockbourne, according to Columbus Metro Parks. The area drew national attention just weeks earlier, when the Franklin County Sheriff's Office assisted federal authorities in a law enforcement operation on the 900 block of Hibbs Road in August that led to the arrest of a wanted fugitive and the recovery of a missing child, per the U.S. Marshals Service. Hoodline covered that operation in a story titled US Marshals Recover 3 Missing Central Ohio Kids, Nab Wanted Fugitive.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office reported a fatal head-on collision involving a semitrailer along the Hibbs Road and State Route 104 corridor in May 2024, according to the Scioto Post. Deputies, Grove City police, and Jackson Township EMS responded to the collision, according to the outlet.
Why Pond Falls Turn Deadly So Fast
Yardwork along pond banks carries real physical risk, even for people doing routine chores at home. Operating lawn equipment on sloped embankments near water is considered a major occupational hazard, with Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing 1,242 groundskeeping fatalities nationwide between 2011 and 2022, according to Safety+Health Magazine. The cited guidance discusses hazards near ponds.
Nationally, unintentional drowning deaths have been climbing. A CDC Vital Signs report found that such deaths exceeded 4,500 annually from 2020 through 2022, roughly 500 more per year than in 2019, according to the CDC Foundation. The article also cites the American Red Cross.
In Ohio specifically, the article also discusses fatal drownings in open-water environments and swimming pools. It also discusses retention pond drownings and the presence of fencing and warning signs near ponds. Pond-safety guidance can address shore slopes and underwater drop-offs.
It remains unclear what specific conditions at the Hibbs Road pond may have contributed to the man's fall or his inability to get out of the water before help arrived. No further details about the circumstances have been released.
