Grain Bin Collapse in Illinois
- Dave Price
- 4 hours ago
- 1 min read
An Illinois community watched more than 30,000 bushes of soybeans spilling out, workers scurrying for safety, and parts of town temporarily losing power. But it avoided serious injuries when a grain bin collapsed. The video shows the moments before the bin fell and then the eventual collapse.
The grain bin was 90 feet tall and had stood in town since 1972 until it gave way. Witnesses noticed a bulge forming in the concrete and rebar, according to WCIA-TV in Champaign, before the bin collapsed.
Medical personnel happened to be nearby on an unrelated call when a paramedic glanced at the bin and noticed the structure beginning to move. Bruce Lane, EMS Coordinator with the Papineau Fire Protection District, said “While we were on that run, we were advised that there was a potential for implosion of a grain bin here in town.”
About two to three dozen people die each year in grain collapses or entrapments, according to Purdue University’s 2023 Agricultural Confined Space Incident Summary.
Many of the fatalities happen in higher grain-producing states like Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota.
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