TRUCK STRIKES MOWER ON 177

EGYPT MILLS - An Egypt Mills man escaped serious injury Monday afternoon when the riding lawn mower he was operating was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 177 near here.

The Missouri Highway Patrol said Michael Hahn, 48, was mowing grass along the edge of highway in front of his home when the mower was struck by a southbound pickup truck driven by Lester Wibbenmeyer, 39, of Cape Girardeau.

The patrol said Hahn was taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries to a leg.

Investigators said Hahn pulled into the roadway to turn around when the accident occurred.

Monday's accident occurred about a mile south from where Martin Haupt, 84, of Egypt Mills was fatally struck on his riding lawn mower on June 16, 1990.

Haupt also had been cutting grass along the edge of the highway in front of his home when he was hit by a vehicle driven by James P. Houston, 29, of Cape Girardeau. Houston was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

The patrol also said a Marble Hill man was injured at 7:45 a.m. Monday in a one-vehicle accident on Bollinger County Route M, six miles northwest of Marble Hill.

Troopers said Timothy Graves, 23, was eastbound on the highway when his vehicle ran off the road, struck several trees and a culvert.

Graves was taken to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau with moderate injuries.