IRETON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a northwest Iowa teacher has died after being struck by a tree limb while helping a neighbor. The accident occurred Saturday afternoon about five miles southeast of Ireton. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office says 49-year-old Christopher Soppe was helping clean up storm debris when he was struck by a branch he was cutting down.

The Sheriff’s Office says Sopped died later at a hospital in Le Mars. The Boyden-Hull School District says Soppe was a special-education teacher who also coached baseball.