GENESEE FALLS, N.Y. – Authorities say a Good Samaritan trying to help a western New York man in distress turned out to be a Bad Samaritan.
The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office says a 58-year-old man's foot got stuck under his riding mower last week as he mowed a sloped lawn near an embankment in the town of Genesee Falls.
Deputies say his cries for help were heard by 31-year-old Christopher Ratcliffe, who had stopped at a nearby gas station while driving back to Pennsylvania.
Police say Ratcliffe tied a rope from his vehicle to the mower. But instead of backing up, Ratcliffe went forward, causing the trapped man, the mower and Ratcliff's vehicle to go over the 12-foot-high embankment.
The mower landed on the man, but he escaped with minor injuries.
Ratcliffe was ticketed for driving a vehicle that was uninsured, uninspected and unregistered.
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