Zoo worker found dead under toppled golf cart

A Philadelphia Zoo employee was killed Monday morning after a golf cart apparently fell on him, police said.

Zoo communications director Dana Lombardo said the man, whose identity authorities have not disclosed, was 59 and had been a mechanic for 14 years. His duties included working on the zoo's fleet of golf carts.

It was unclear to police and zoo officials how the cart ended up on top of the mechanic.

"Basically, we had a really traumatic incident happen here this morning," Lombardo said. "We're trying to collect ourselves and understand what happened."

Lombardo said she was notified of the incident before 11 a.m. and was told that the man was found in a maintenance garage pinned beneath the cart.

Police said the mechanic was pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at 11:44 a.m.

"It's been an awful morning," Lombardo said. "Our hearts go out to his family. He was a beloved member of this staff and the zoo collectively."

Grief counseling was being made available for staff members Monday afternoon.

"He was a very tight-knit part of his team, so we want to have counseling available for them and for the staff as a whole," Lombardo said.