Eastern Iowa man dies when lawnmower rolls on top of him

An eastern Iowa man was killed Tuesday afternoon while mowing, officials said. 

Ronald George Nolte, 78, of Waucoma, died around 1:45 p.m. after the lawnmower he was riding rolled on top of him, the Fayette County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. 

Nolte was mowing the edge of a ditch along 275th Street in Waucoma when the wheels of his John Deere Z425 lawnmower came off the shoulder and it rolled over, officials said. Nolte was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff's office is investigating. 

Anna Spoerre is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. She can be reached by email at aspoerre@dmreg.com, by phone at 515-284-8387 or on Twitter at @annaspoerre.