This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Ittner Bean and Grain sits on Aug. 31, 2022 in Auburn.

Bay County Sheriff Troy Cunningham

Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to Ittner Bean and Grain in Auburn on Tuesday after a 44-year-old employee fell into an auger and  suffered a severe leg injury. The man was airlifted to Hurley Medical Center in Flint.

Bay County Sheriff Troy Cunningham said the man reportedly slipped on grain and fell into the auger at the business located at 301 Park Avenue.

“He almost had to have his leg amputated,” Cunningham said. "He is expected to live."

An auger, according to Farm Injury Resource Center, is a long tube used to raise and transport grain from the ground to the top of grain bins, load trucks from the grain bin or carry feed from a wagon to cattle feeders on a farm. It has a long, screw-shaped shank driven by a pulley or gear at the top. As the shank turns, the grain moves upwards in the tube.

When EMS arrived, first responders applied a turn tourniquet to the man's leg. 

Auburn-Williams Fire Department and Medstar also assisted at the scene along with deputies.

Ittner Bean and Grain did not provide comment for this story.