Valeria man flown to hospital after getting caught in auger

A man working on a farm west of Valeria was flown to a hospital Tuesday morning after getting caught in an auger and sustaining severe injuries.

Dispatch received a 911 call at about 8:55 a.m. from the victim, who remained conscious and was eventually able to remove himself from the auger. Law enforcement have not identified the man at this time.

Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty told Newton News although the man was no longer trapped, he still had severe body injuries. Authorities from Colfax and Mingo, as well as the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, reported to the scene.

Officers requested a medical helicopter to transport the man to a Des Moines hospital to treat his injuries. At the that time, Halferty said the man was alert and speaking with the medics before he was taken by air ambulance.

The man was working alone at the time of the incident.

“But he had a cellphone so he was able to call in for help, which was very fortunate,” Halferty said. “When we first got the call they said he was trapped in the auger. Information was initially limited. But by the time we got closer to the site he was able to free himself and crawl to an area where we could find him.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com