Stephen Swanson is a web producer at CBS News Minnesota. Stephen was a floor director for a decade before moving to the WCCO-TV newsroom in 2011, where he focuses on general assignment reporting.
A 69-year-old man out snowblowing was crushed to death by a "large downed tree" Wednesday morning in northeastern Minnesota.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said its deputies were called around 10:22 a.m. to a residence off Laine Road in Alden Township, located about 12 miles northwest of Two Harbors.
The victim's wife said she left their home for about 45 minutes, last seeing her husband clearing snow. She returned to find him under the tree.
"Due to high winds and heavy wet snow the tree gave way while he was snowblowing near it, fatally injuring him," the sheriff's office said. "No foul play is suspected and this is a tragic incident."
An overnight storm dropped several inches of snow in the Arrowhead region, with more than 10 inches recorded at Duluth International Airport, which is about 28 miles southwest of Alden Township.
The storm also caused "significant damage" at Duluth's Bentleyville Tour of Lights, which has temporarily closed. Organizers said the clean-up effort Wednesday has been hampered by continued wind gusts reaching speeds of 45 mph.