An elderly Harrison County man died Wednesday afternoon when he suffocated after being covered by corn inside a grain bin at a Fulton Road farm near Tippecanoe.
Harrison County Sheriff Ronald Myers declined to release the name of the victim who was reportedly in his 80s.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene after he was extricated from the grain bin by his son, a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy and local firefighters.
According to reports, the deceased man and his son were checking the moisture content inside the grain bin when a set of doors opened allowing corn to fill the bin and cover both men. The victim was reportedly knocked to the ground facedown and was quickly covered by corn as the pair tried to close the doors.
The son was able to free himself and went to the farm house approximately a quarter mile away to call for help, as cell phone service was not available at the scene. The accident was reported just before 4:40 p.m. Wednesday via a call from the victim’s wife, according to Myers.
The son returned to the bin and was digging to free his father when a Harrison County sheriff’s deputy returning from Uhrichsville stopped to help with the rescue effort.
Sheriff Myers said firefighters from several local departments including the Antrim Community Volunteer Fire Department in Guernsey County were also dispatched to the scene. The Antrim department was canceled approximately nine minutes after the dispatch call, as the victim had been pronounced dead.
The victim was reportedly a well-known local farmer.
