After the injured worker was brought down, the Hastings Fire & Rescue team posted these pictures taken at the Hardy accident scene. The accident happened on the top of a leg used to move grain at the Hardy elevator. The pictures show first responders at various points on the leg including the high point pictured at the left.
Fridayʼs accident happened about 200 feet above the ground. How high is 200 feet? The picture at the left was taken outside the elevatorʼs truck dump looking up toward the top of the leg. The picture above was taken from the leg looking down. It shows some of the emergency vehicles that were used when Hastings, Superior and Hardy Fire Department responded to the call for assistance. Looking down the normally big trucks look like miniature toys.
The call reporting an accident at the Hardy elevator was of the type that local responders envision in their nightmares. It was reported a man had fallen while working on a piece of equipment known as a leg. Elevator legs are used to lift the grain from the ground to distributors which then send it on to the desired bin. While legs may have stairs or ladders, they are not designed in a way to make movement of an injured person easy.
When the call for help came to the first responders, they were told the man, had fallen, may have suffered a broken arm and leg and was still on the grain leg.
The Hardy Fire Department was the agency in charge of the rescue. However, the Village of Hardy contracts with the City of Superior for ambulance service.
When the dispatch center at Nelson paged a Superior ambulance crew, the dispatcher advised the situation was such the Superior Fire Department would also be needed. Along with an ambulance and smaller emergency vehicles, the Superior Department sent its ladder truck with the hope it might be able to reach the injured man. However, he was above the truck's reach.
A call for assistance was sent to the Hastings Fire and Rescue Squad. The maintenance worker from the Chester area was about 200 feet above the ground when he fell and injured a shoulder and knee.
The rescue proved to be a difficult one for the larger Hastings department.
Bystanders said ropes were apparently used to lower the injured man to a level where he could be moved in a more normal mannor. Medical personnel were at his side much of the time attempting to comfort him.
Pictures published with this article have been provided by Hastings Fire & Rescue.
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