BROOKINGS (Brookings Radio)- A man is killed in a Monday afternoon grain bin accident on the family farm near Elkton.
Brookings County Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring says they were called at about 12:25 p.m. on the report of a man possibly trapped in a grain bin containing corn. Sebring says 27-year-old Christopher Robert Bauman was found after sections of the bin were emptied.
Bauman had been augering corn from the bin. It’s unknown why he entered the grain bin.
The Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
The Elkton Fire Department, Elkton Ambulance, Brookings Fire Department., Brookings Ambulance, and personnel from the Aurora Fire Department also responded to the scene.
The man’s death comes as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue issued a proclamation claiming this week “National Grain Bin Safety Week.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who lost her father in a grain bin accident, is encouraging producers to, “evaluate safety procedures on their farms and ranches. Slow down and be safe, and your family will thank you for it.”
