Trapped in a grain bin, an Isabella County farmer nearly found himself buried alive in corn but managed to evade death thanks to the efforts of firefighters.
Just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, Shepherd police officers responded to a call of a man trapped inside a corn-filled grain bin at a family farm in the 11000 block of South Shepherd Road.
A person at the farm called 911.
“This is a life or death situation,” police wrote on the department’s Facebook page. “This is also not our everyday call, nor are we equipped with the tools and training to handle it.” Fortunately for police and the man in the bin, Shepherd Tri-Township firefighters also responded to the scene.
Shepherd Tri-Township Fire Department Capt. Brad Doepker said the farmer had been in the approximately 18-feet tall bin to remove clumps of bridged corn.
“At the time, the auger was on,” Doepker said. “When he freed the corn, it basically pulled him and the board he was on down into the corn in the center of the bin.”