A tow-truck driver was killed when the vehicle he was retrieving rolled onto him in central Minnesota, authorities said.

In an incident Tuesday afternoon involving two tow trucks designed to pull semitrailer trucks, Christopher J. Clavin, 45, of St. Cloud, died at Protech Repair in St. Wendel Township, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

Clavin, a driver for Collins Brothers Towing in St. Cloud, was sent to Protech to retrieve a tow truck and bring it back to Collins Brothers to have an engine installed.

Workers at Protech, which is also owned by Collins Brothers, saw Clavin as he was connecting the two trucks and soon heard a shout. They saw that the disabled truck had rolled back over Clavin. Workers called 911 and attempted in vain to revive Clavin.

Clavin's death is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office, the State Patrol and the state Occupational Safety and Health Division.

Paul Walsh