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Young woman's arm caught in grain auger in Elba

By Billie Owens

A man's 24-year-old woman's arm is reportedly caught in a grain auger behind the residence at 3869 Drake Street Road in Elba. The location is between Pekin and Weatherwax roads. She is conscious and breathing.

Elba Fire Department, Mercy medics and Sheriff's deputies are also responding.

UPDATE 3:36 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called to the scene.

UPDATE 3:39 p.m.: Mercy Flight is en route. Elba units, along with one from Oakfield Fire Department, are going to set up the landing zone.

UPDATE 3:53 p.m.: An engine from Barre is called to Elba's Fire Department.

UPDATE 4:14 p.m.: Town of Batavia's fire rescue unit is called as mutual aid to the scene. Barre is now standing by in Elba's hall.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: Mercy Flight has been waiting at the scene for some time now. "The victim has been freed from the equipment." Fire police are handling traffic, with one lane of traffic eastbound, alternating with one lane of traffic westbound.

UPDATE 4:59 p.m.: The victim is being loaded into Mercy Flight which "fired up" and is preparing to take off. Traffic has been stopped for this.

UPDATE 5:02 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and heading to Strong Memorial Hospital. The traffic shuffle resumes.

tj stone

yet again, another classy photo.
see those people holding eachother in comfort?
wonder what they think of seeing pictures like this.
maybe soon enough everyone in these small towns will have family photos of loved ones in terrible times posted here.

gotta love scannerazzi

.

Dec 7, 2011, 7:25pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Gee TJ if you had your way we'd only see cleaned up drawings and illustrations. Its 2011 not 1811 welcome to real life. I like the way that people not even involved in a situation project their opinions into it as if it would effect anything.

Dec 7, 2011, 7:40pm Permalink
Bob Price

This young lady is lucky to be alive-usually someone getting caught in a piece of PTO operated equipment doesn't survive-she's lucky there was a hunter nearby that saw something was wrong and turned the machine off. Other sites are giving her name if you want to know,and also her injuries.

Dec 7, 2011, 8:39pm Permalink
Jason Brunner

I think the important thing here is that she is still alive. She is a Wife, a Mother, and a Daughter. Keep that in mind. Praise God she made it and continue to pray for her healing.

Dec 7, 2011, 9:35pm Permalink
Irene Will

I don't see anything wrong with the photo. It's better than the one the Daily News ran years ago when my nephew was killed in a car accident - - a picture of him in the BODY BAG laying on the ground.

Dec 7, 2011, 11:12pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

TJ, wait, you were here looking at the news so what are you complaining about? If you think that journalism is not a legitimate, respected profession, why were you here reading the news? A smart guy like you should be browsing the pages at TMZ instead!

Dec 8, 2011, 5:41am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Is it the "people holding each other for comfort" conspirators? I know how nutty that group is! I mean, really, who the hell needs a hug, especially when a family member is caught up in an auger! For heaven sake, can't they stand on their own 2 feet and stop leaning on each other? I can see how you'd have a problem with that........okay not really! Maybe you just don't think a photo journalist should capture real life moments, tragic or not, from around the community? Who would stoop to such lows like letting other people know what's happening around the place they call home?! Are you perhaps a friend of Jason Reese? Just wondering!

Dec 8, 2011, 2:44pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Hey Doug, I think TJ is just one of those people who need photographs of news articles to contain blood, guts and devastation or it just not good news. I mean why should people comfort one another during a tragedy....that is just ridiculous (sarcasms). I guess TJ would be upset if someone would of taken a photo of my Mom holding my hand and crying for me to wake up on my death bed back in 2006. Unless of course there was blood, guts or death also in the photo.

Dec 8, 2011, 3:09pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

I've actually come to view comments like TJ's as a compliment. If somebody is made uncomfortable with the picture, it means the picture has some emotional power. People unable to handle documents displaying emotion act as a barometer for the effectiveness of the photo.

Most people see a picture for what it is, a document of what was really going on at the scene, what both the events and emotions were like at the scene, which means I've done my job as a photojournalist.

As for how a family might react to such a picture -- some families will appreciate the documentation and others will feel its an intrusion. When I'm at a scene taking a photo, I can't predict what reaction I'll get, so the default choice is to do my job and take the picture and then make, hopefully, a tasteful, but appropriate and newsworthy choice about what to publish.

I've actually never had a family member complain about any picture I've published, but I've had a couple families request printed copies of some horrific events we've covered -- it's family history, no matter how sad, and they want the documentation.

Dec 8, 2011, 5:48pm Permalink

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