A 56-year-old Clearwater man died Monday morning after being pinned underneath his vehicle on a rural Stearns County highway.
A Stearns County deputy came across a two-vehicle crash about 6:30 a.m. Monday on Stearns County Road 45, just west of Clearwater.
According to the Stearns County Sheriff's Office, Donald E. Zwilling of Clearwater was driving a pickup truck northbound on County Road 45 when he stopped and was inspecting the front end of his vehicle after likely hitting a deer.
Kimball resident Jay E. Kangas, 37, was traveling northbound on County Road 45 when he hit the rear of Zwilling's truck with his pickup.
The impact pushed Zwilling's truck on top of him and trapped him; Zwilling died on the scene.
Kangas' truck rolled and came to rest on the driver's side; he sustained minor injuries.
Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash and will be completing an accident reconstruction report.
According to Stearns County, the area was foggy at the time of the crash. Impairment is not believed to be a factor in the crash.
Jenny Berg • 612-673-7299
Twitter: @bergjenny
