DeKalb County Farmer Dies In Grain-Bin Accident
(CBS) – A 73-year-old farmer died Monday after becoming trapped in a grain bin in DeKalb County, the coroner's office said.
More than 100 firefighters from departments as far away as Naperville responded the Genoa farm of Leon Madey, who had been loading a truck with his son. Firefighters cut holes in the bin to help empty the grain, but in the end it was too late.
Rescue crews believe Madey went into the silo to try to clear a crust; that's when a hard top forms on the corn pile, often leaving a cavity underneath and reducing the capacity of the bin. Madey apparently fell through the top of the pile.
He was found standing upright in the corn about seven feet from the ground, officials said.
An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 bushels of corn were inside – the equivalent of more than a dozen semi-tractor-trailer trucks full.
Madey reportedly is survived by a wife and four children.