By Lori Wynn

A Pooler man accidentally drowned Wednesday afternoon in South Bryan after the small tractor he was driving fell into a pond.

Detective Mickey Sands with the Bryan County Sheriff’s Department said Bryan Vickers Neugent, 39, was dumping lime into a pond at 13802 Hwy. 144 for Kelley’s Tree Service of Richmond Hill when his Bobcat skid steer loader went over the steep edge of the pond.

“He got too close to the edge of the pond,” Sands said. “The tractor ended up on its side submerged in water.

“Mr. Neugent was trapped inside the cab … and the door was jammed against the pond bottom, and he was unable to open the door.”

Bryan County Fire Department responded to the scene, and Sands said a fire truck was tied to the tractor to try and pull it out of the water. The truck couldn't pull the tractor out, but it did enable paramedics to access the door and find Neugent.

“He was in (the pond) for about 20 minutes,” Sands said. “They attempted CPR on him but were unable to resuscitate him.”

Neugent was pronounced dead at 3:50 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah.

Read more in the Weekend edition of the News.