Man rescued from grain bin
|
|
March 26, 2013 |
 |
|
Firefighters,
farmers from miles around and more
sprang into action Monday afternoon
after a man was trapped in this huge
silo at Olson Farms in Copeland. |
|
Photo
courtesy of Jacob Bushnell,
http://www.watchidaho.net |
|
When word got out Monday afternoon that a man
was trapped in a silo at Olson's Farm in
Copeland, it didn't take long for farmers for
miles around to drop everything and run to help.
The call to 911 came in around 1:35 p.m., and
within moments firefighters from Hall Mountain
Fire, ambulance crews, sheriff's deputies and
Border Patrol agents were racing to the scene.
When they arrived, more than 60 people, area
farmers and their families mostly, were already
there to help.
"It was impressive how many people came and how
quickly they responded," said Sheriff Greg
Sprungl, who, like many, could only stand back
and watch the rescue effort. "It took a lot of
work, it wasn't an easy job. I have to
compliment the fire crew and farmers, they did
an incredible job."
According to Hall Mountain Fire Chief Brad
Louther, farm crews were loading wheat from the
silo onto trucks when an auger inside clogged.
Jim Shelton went into the silo to clear the jam,
but when the plug broke loose, Jim was buried in
wheat up to his waist, and initial attempts to
free him only sucked him down further.
Inside the silo, the sides slope in, forming a
funnel and pulling everything inside, including
Jim, down.
"It was like quicksand," Louther said. "By the
time I got there, they had him tied off, but Jim
was buried up to his shoulders. He was taking it
pretty well, a lot better than most would in
that situation, but it was pretty scary."
In addition to a lot of sweat and effort,
getting him out took a lot of ingenuity, too.
"We tried hoisting him up with a come-along, but
he wouldn't budge," Louther said. "The harder we
pulled, the worse it got."
Replacing the rope with a sling to keep Jim's
head above the wheat, crews initially considered
disassembling a part of the silo, a task that
would have taken hours. Instead, they decided to
try another trick.
Cutting both ends out of a large plastic barrel,
they placed over Jim and used a shop vacuum to
suck out the wheat, slowly inching the barrel
deeper. Eventually, they had enough wheat
removed from around Jim that, using another
plastic barrel they cut for the job, they were
able to insert it behind Jim and pull him to
safety.
"He's a lucky feller," Louther said. "Bob,
Dustin and Eric Olson were right there when it
happened, and were able to keep him from going
completely under, and a lot of help arrived
shortly thereafter."
In all, Louther estimates that Sheldon was
trapped in the grip of the grain for nearly four
hours before being pulled free, unhurt.
"We're grateful it turned out well," Sprungl
said. "When something like this happens, farmers
and neighbors stand together. They deserve a lot of credit." |
|
Questions or comments about this
letter?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
