A 45-year-old man was rescued Sunday night after becoming caught in an auger atop a silo at a farm in Carroll County, with a sheriff's deputy climbing the structure to apply a tourniquet before technical rescuers could free him. The complex operation stretched on for hours, drew in crews from multiple fire departments and sheriff's offices, and ultimately required a state-trooper escort to get the man to an Akron trauma center once weather grounded a medical helicopter.
The incident unfolded at a farm near 6066 June Road, just off state Route 171 east of Waynesburg, according to jordanmiller.news. A deputy from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office was the first to arrive and climbed to the top of the silo, where he used a tourniquet to slow the victim's bleeding, as reported by cleveland.com. From there, rescuers from multiple departments worked to free the victim, get him bandaged and lower him to the ground, the outlet reported.
A Painstaking, Hours-Long Extraction
Accounts differ on exactly how long the rescue took. Cleveland.com described a complicated rescue that took about three hours and involved dozens of emergency workers, while the same incident was reported elsewhere as having taken approximately two and a half hours. Crews reportedly removed portions of the silo roof and interior metal supports so the man could eventually be lifted out, per jordanmiller.news, which also reported that the operation marked the first emergency use of the Carrollton Fire Department's newly acquired 109-foot ladder truck.
The Canton Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team set up ropes and rigging to lower the victim to the ground, according to the same cleveland.com report. Getting that equipment and manpower in place took coordination between the Carroll County and Stark County sheriff's offices' 911 dispatch centers, the outlet noted. WJER Radio separately described the operation as a multi-agency response that rescued a farmer trapped in a silo auger system Sunday night at a Rose Township farm, while Fox 8 reported that first responders from at least nine Carrollton-area agencies coordinated the effort.
Conflicting Counts on Agencies and Personnel
Just how many people responded remains unclear. Jordanmiller.news put the number at an estimated 80 to 90 emergency responders and support personnel, while Yahoo News reported that at least seven different agencies and as many as 80 rescuers had responded to the scene. Cleveland 19 News reported that firefighters from Carrollton, Magnolia, the Great Trail Fire District and Canton worked to free the victim and lower him to the ground.
Weather Grounds Helicopter, Troopers Step In
A medical helicopter had been on scene, but a change in weather conditions prevented it from taking off, according to the cleveland.com report. With air transport off the table, officials arranged for the Stark County Sheriff's Office and State Highway Patrol to provide an escort for an ambulance so the patient could reach a trauma center in Akron as quickly as possible, the outlet reported. Fox 8 reported that state troopers met the ambulance on U.S. Route 30 in Waco, in Stark County, to escort it the rest of the way to the Akron hospital.
Jordanmiller.news reported that the patient was transported by Quad Ambulance to the Akron trauma center. Cleveland 19 News reported that officials said the escort saved precious minutes and provided extra safety for the patient, road users and the ambulance EMS crew. Beyond the transport to Akron, the dossier of reporting does not establish a confirmed outcome for the man's condition.
A Known Hazard on Ohio Farms
Entanglement and engulfment are listed among the common injuries associated with grain handling by the Ohio State University Agricultural Safety and Health Program, which recommends that lockout/tagout procedures be developed for all grain-handling equipment. The program also suggests that farmers invite their local fire department to tour their facility, a step aimed at helping crews prepare for exactly the kind of complex, multi-agency rescue that played out in Carroll County on Sunday night.
