Primghar, Iowa — A farmer who had been trapped up to his chest in grain was airlifted to a Sioux City hospital following his ordeal on Wednesday.
According to Primghar Fire Chief Gary Lansink, the farmer was airlifted directly from the scene to a Sioux City hospital. It’s not known how long he was trapped, but Lansink says rescue crews were on the scene for four hours.
Lansink says he’s not sure exactly what happened. He knows that the farmer was in the bin, which was about two-thirds empty at the time, and was beating down some crusty corn. He doesn’t know if the bin-emptying auger was running or not at the time.
Rescue workers from Primghar, Archer, and one from Paullina as well as EMTs from Primghar Ambulance and some local residents (about 12 people in all) faced the challenge of extracting the farmer without causing him to sink into the grain.
Rescue personnel deployed their grain tube, which is supposed to work by surrounding the victim and allowing workers to remove the grain in the tube to rescue the victim. But since the victim had his legs tucked behind him, he says that did not work. Lansink says they ended up cutting a hole in the bin and using a grain vac to empty the bin slowly.
Lansink tells us that the farmer was conscious and talking to them the whole time.
According to Lansink, people need to exercise extreme caution in grain bins with grain in them. He says crusty corn layers are dangerous. Find tips for how to prevent grain entrapment from the University of Iowa by clicking here.
