(Winterset, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Madison County report on off-duty Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy has died from injuries he suffered during an excavator accident Thursday morning in rural Madison County. 34-year-old Nicholas Koeppe,  of Corning, died after being flown from the scene to a hospital in Des Moines.

Authorities say a preliminary investigation shows that Koeppe was alone when he attempted to drive the excavator over a bridge on private property that spanned a body of water. When the bridge collapsed, the excavator rolled into the water trapping Koeppe below the surface. The accident was discovered at around 8:06-a.m.

A witness who found the overturned excavator in the water called 911 and was able to gain access to the cab and pull Koeppe out and performed CPR as rescue personnel arrived. Assisting the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at the scene was the Madison County Ambulance and Winterset Fire Department.

Koeppe was working a part-time job at the time of the incident.