Iowa Family Trapped In Corn Avalanche

Father Rescued After Four Hours; Condition Not Yet Made Public

(AP)  A grain bin collapsed and sent a tidal wave of corn into a home, sweeping it off its foundation, trapping a family of four and shaking the ground for miles.

One man was taken to a hospital after being buried for hours in grain and debris in Hillsboro in southeast Iowa.

The bin - about 100 feet in diameter, 90 feet high and containing more than 500,000 bushels of corn - collapsed Monday evening. The force of the grain broke the walls of Jesse and Jennifer Kellett's home and sent the roof crashing down.

"The force actually took the house with the corn and shoved it and crushed it," Dan Wesely, Henry County chief sheriff's deputy, said Tuesday.

The Kelletts and their children, Jordan Walter, 11, and Sheyanne Walter, 9, were trapped. Jennifer Kellett and her daughter crawled out, but her husband and son - pinned by walls, wood and corn - had to be rescued.

Many residents of the town of 200 said they could hear the bin's rivets giving way, sounding like machine-gun fire. Farmers miles away reported feeling the ground shake. The bin was about 20 feet away from the house, authorities said.

The grain bin is owned by Chem Gro. The bin was new, Wesely said, and officials are investigating the cause of the collapse. A telephone message left with the company Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Emergency crews reached Jesse and Jordan Walters and supplied them with oxygen lines.

"The thing was they had to move this corn, and it kept rolling in. They had to move a lot of corn back before they could get down and find out what was holding them in. That would be the lumber, walls and different things," Wesely said.

Once free, Jordan Walters walked to an ambulance, where he was found to be uninjured. His father, rescued after about four hours, was taken to a hospital, which declined to release information about his condition.

"When it happened, my house shook, and I'm clear on the other end of this town," Hillsboro resident Naomi Sanderson told the Hawk Eye newspaper of Burlington.

[toolmangler-2009]

I get hit with an avalanche of corn every year at familt gatherings the minute my relatives start telling jokes!
Posted by baptox at 06:23 PM : Nov 21, 2007

Sounds like you need to POP some corn. LOL

[baptox]

I get hit with an avalanche of corn every year at familt gatherings the minute my relatives start telling jokes!

[fitedafuture]

I thought these things only happened in Nebraska?

[iowan9]

For those of you calling it a silo -- I believe the article said BIN. There is a difference.

[azmka]

The whole thing sounds a bit corny!

[speakinup]

OBVIOUSLY Bush did it.

[b-easy63]

Why was the bin only 20 feet from the house? I don''''t know the maximum angle of repose for corn - I am sure someone does. But the bin should have been placed at least twice the distance of the base for that volume of corn to avoid any possibility of this kind of incident. I sure hope that the father is alright. If so, this will truly be a Thanksgiving-worth holiday for them.

Posted by MityWhity at 09:25 AM : Nov 21, 2007


It usually has to do with space and ease to get the corn in. Much of the rest of the land might be taken up with other outbuildings and crops. There are lots of silos near homes. In Iowa locating the silo near the home is not unusual and this has not happened.

All of you are missing the point. It is NOT the location that is the mystery and suspiscion. It is what kind of steel and rivets were used to put this silo together?

silos don''t usually burst from the corn they contain unless there is a defect in the mfg of the structure. THAT should be the focus now that we know everyone is OK. Note that the manufacturer is not talking and that the silo was NOT owned by the farmer but was leased? THAT should be another red flag. When a silo or other equipment is leased, building, maintenance, etc is done by the company that owns it---there is a lawsuit coming and it won''t just be for the lost corn crop.

[prosperine-2009]

That is a-maize-ing! The silo pops instead of the corn!

[rushman71]

"It''s the Attack of the Killer Kernels!!!" Sorry, I know this is a serious occurance, but the good thing is that no one died.

[rational_1]

And everyone is concerned about the dangers of nearby missile silos... It''s these corn silos that''ll get ya. Who''s the genius who put this thing 20 feet from a house? Don''t these people live on a big-a$$ prairie with quadrillions of acres of space?

[mitywhity]

Actually it would be a "Maizalanche"

[mitywhity]

Why was the bin only 20 feet from the house? I don''t know the maximum angle of repose for corn - I am sure someone does. But the bin should have been placed at least twice the distance of the base for that volume of corn to avoid any possibility of this kind of incident. I sure hope that the father is alright. If so, this will truly be a Thanksgiving-worth holiday for them.

[griking]

Hopefully the couple''s insurance covers the damage to their home. This seems to be the kind of screwy thing that insurance companies try to get out of paying for.

[jetranger7]

Rivets Popped Out, OK, the Rivets from CHINA ?? and most likely possibly built with Cheap Illegal Labor from down South !!

[cfin5]

Whoa!......"CORNALANCHE", that''s a new one, and a bummer too. I would like a "new" spell checker with a sense of humor so I can make up words with a little peace for cryin''out''loud!

[olebd]

I blame all those in favor of Ethanol.

[slim1h2o]

Posted by ontheleft at 05:48 AM : Nov 21, 2007

You must be a new poster, thats all I see is his spam.

Or you''re being sarcastic???

BTW, glad no one was seriously hurt, but there goes the corn prices.

[kevinmbdeowo]

ontheleft''s comment was corny

[ontheleft]

I''m buried in popcorn here myself, but I was wondering where I can find out more about Ron Paul? I never seem to see anything on these boards about him.