Accidental Death

On August 1, 2018 at 5:07 p.m. the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call reporting a man pinned under a semi-truck. The incident happened at the address of 15326 Kramer Road in Luxemburg Township, about three miles northwest of Watkins. Watkins Fire Department, Watkins Ambulance, and Life Link Air Ambulance were dispatched to the scene. When emergency services arrived, it was determined the person who was pinned under the semi- truck was deceased. The person was identified as Joseph Edwin Pauly, 54, of rural Watkins. Pauly had been doing repair work on the semi-truck. An axle was jacked up using a hydraulic bottle jack and a wheel was removed. The jack slipped out from under the truck and it fell on Pauly. Family members discovered the accident and called 911.