Livingston County man rescued from grain bin after nearly 8 hours
A potentially fatal situation was avoided when rescue units from Central Illinois were able to free a person from a grain bin near Gridley Thursday.
The victim, who had not been officially identified as of Friday afternoon, was freed from a grain bin after spending nearly eight hours inside. The bin is located at 101168 East, 600 North Road in Pike Township in southern Livingston County, just about four miles northeast of Gridley.
“It is a delicate operation because if the grain shifts the wrong direction, it could envelop the patient further or bury the rescuers,” read a social media post from Normal Fire Department.
Fire officials said crews were called to the farm a little after noon and was rescued just before 8 p.m. The victim was taken to the hospital to be checked out after being rescued.
Pontiac Fire Chief Jake Campbell said his department responded at 12:15 p.m. with three chiefs, Squad 66, Truck 1 and Medic 3. Also responding from the area were MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 25 (LaSalle County), Division 28 (Champaign-Urbana) and Division 41 (Normal).
Another unit responding was the Pontiac Wastewater Treatment Plant. Campbell said WWTP Superintendent Jake Kinkade sent the vac truck from the plant.
“They played a vital role,” Campbell said of the WWTP personnel and the vac truck. “That really made the difference in the rescue operation. We used the vac truck to suck the corn out of the to free the gentleman.
“That was a very make-or-break deal. It’s a very vital resource to have.”
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Pontiac-area man rescued from grain bin after nearly 8 hours
