(Adams Co) The Madison County Sheriff’s Office identified the man who died following an excavator accident as 34-year-old Nicholas Koeppe, of Corning. Koeppe is an Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy who was off-duty and working a part-time job at the time of the incident.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 8:06 a.m. on Thursday reporting an overturned excavator in a small creek on Peru Road. 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. It was then that the bridge collapsed and the excavator rolled into the water trapping Koeppe below the surface.
A witness who discovered the overturned excavator in the water called 911 and was able to gain access to the cab and pull Koeppe out as rescue personnel arrived. Koeppe was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital where died from his injuries.
