ELY – A staff member at Ely Memorial High School has died from injuries sustained in a snowmobile accident on Sunday.

Christopher Yarger, 48, a German teacher at Ely Memorial High School, died from injuries he sustained in a snowmobile accident on Shagawa Lake last weekend.

ISD 696 Superintendent Kevin Abrahamson confirmed Yarger's death in an e-mail sent to parents on Monday. A copy of the email was also sent to the Timberjay on Monday.

"It is with heartfelt sadness and deepest sympathy that we inform you that the Ely School District has experienced the loss of one of its teaching staff," Abrahamson said. "Although Mr. Yarger was new to our schools this year, we know that he impacted our students."

Yarger was a German instructor at the high school during the first half of the 2016-17 school year and was assigned to other duties during the second semester, Abrahamson said. School staff was available to counsel students.

Yarger was transported by ambulance to Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and later taken by helicopter to St. Mary's Hospital in Duluth, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff's deputies and the Ely Police Department responded to the accident on Shagawa Lake near the 400 block of Shagawa Road North in Ely at 2:49 p.m. Sunday.

The driver was taken to Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, then airlifted to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Authorities originally withheld the victim's name Sunday night pending notification of family.

The accident is under investigation by the Sheriff's Department. Speed and alcohol appear to be contributing factors to the crash, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department was also assisted at the scene by the Minnesota State Patrol, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Ely First Responders and Fire Department and Lifelink Air Ambulance.