BEATTY TWP- A 39-year-old St. Michael man died Friday after apparently receiving an electrical shock while swimming near a docked boat on Lake Vermilion.
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Paul Joelson.
County dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 4:47 p.m. reporting that a man was in the water and was being electrocuted by a boat near the 9100 block of Voss Rd. in Beatty Township.
According to the sheriff’s office, Joelson had been swimming when he grabbed the docked boat. Witnesses said he appeared to receive an electrical shock and then lost consciousness.
The boat’s electrical system appeared to have been plugged into a nearby boathouse at the time of the incident.
Sheriff’s deputies responded along with the Cook Fire Department and Cook Ambulance. Life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, and Joelson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The circumstances remain under investigation, and the sheriff’s office said results from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office are pending. The Cook Fire Department, Cook Ambulance, Life Link III, and Lake Country Power assisted at the scene.