O’NEILL, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a 58-year-old legislative candidate died after a snow sledding accident in north-central Nebraska.

The Holt County attorney’s office says medics and other first responders were sent late Sunday afternoon to a location about 19 miles (31 kilometers) north of O’Neill. They found an O’Neill man, George Holm, who was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead later at an O’Neill hospital.

Investigators determined that Holm and a child were on a sled that slammed into a tree stump at high speed. Authorities say Holm was able to protect the child from physical injuries.

Holm was a Democrat who’d announced his candidacy for the Legislature’s District 40 seat but who had not yet officially filed. The seat is held by Tyson Larson, who will be leaving office because of term limits.