Man Dies In Eastern Iowa Grain Bin Accident

A man is dead after an accident at an eastern Iowa farm Wednesday.

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At around 7:15 pm, the Clinton County Sheriff’s office and DeWitt Fire Department were called to a grain bin site after receiving a report of an entrapment. According to a release, the bin was located in the 2000 block of 320th Avenue, in Dewitt.

Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement and fire personnel found an adult male trapped inside a partially filled bin.

The DeWitt Fire Department and other neighboring departments worked to free the man from the bin. Unfortunately, when firefighters were able to get the man out of the grain, he died from being trapped in the grain.

In 2021, at least 23 people were killed in grain bin accidents, with eight of those being in Iowa.

From 2018 to 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that grain entrapments rose 27 percent. At the same time, deaths related to entrapments rose 53 percent.

“It can bring you in faster than you actually realize,” said Clinton County farmer and farm bureau member, Chad Petersen told KCRG. “It’s very difficult, if not impossible to get yourself out in flowing grain.”

The identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the family. The investigation is being investigated by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton County Medical Examiner’s Office.

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