Teenager Trapped in Grain Elevator

A teenage boy was trapped inside a grain elevator that was partially filled, reported local news 5 KCTV.

Emergency crews responded to Hankins Grain Co. in Clinton, MO on Monday morning.

The boy was trapped in corn up to his chest and was unable to free himself, although he was conscious and alert.

The police department said crews worked on the rescue for several hours before they reached the boy. Eventually, they were able to cut off a section of the grain elevator to provide better access.

Clinton Fire Department Chief Mark Manuel reported that employees of Hankins Grain were “cleaning some grain out of the bin. There was a pocket, a void space in the grain that some wet grain crated. When they broke that loose, it sucked the victim down into the grain and buried him to the chest. They immediately called 911.”

Chief Manuel reported that rescuers used a device called a “Great Wall of Rescue,”  which is “created just for situations like this, grain entrapment.”

He said the device consists of “several wall pieces that [rescuers] can use and push down into the grain… Once we get it completely deployed, it completely encapsulates [the] victim and prevents any more grain from falling down onto them to bury them any further.”

Once the device was fully deployed and encapsulated the entrapped teen, firefighters were able to use an auger to remove grain from around him, freeing him at approximately noon.

Despite being entrapped for nearly three hours while crews worked to rescue him safely, the young man emerged “in good condition” and “stable.” Manuel elaborated that “when [firefighters] removed him, he was talking to [rescuers] and in good spirits and able to walk on his own.” The young man was transported by ambulance to Golden Valley Memorial Healthcare for further evaluation.