Employee Found Dead in Corn Silo at Didion Milling in Wisconsin

The man who died in a corn silo at a mill in Columbia County, Wis., was a 52-year-old employee, sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies were called to Didion Milling in Cambria on Dec. 8 where an employee was reported missing and had been working in or around a corn silo.

First responders from Cambria, Friesland and Pardeeville were dispatched and began search and rescue efforts. The employee was found deceased in one of the corn bins after hours of searching, the State Journal reported.

“We are assisting authorities as they investigate the cause of this tragic event and will not be able to release additional details at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with our employee’s loved ones and our grieving work family,” Didion said in a statement.

The incident remains under investigation by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Federal authorities fined Didion more than $1.8 million after five people died and 14 others were injured in an explosion at the plant in May 2017. In March 2020, a contract worker was seriously injured at the plant after he fell 30 feet from a catwalk in a corn dryer.

Related:

• Flames Shot Out of Grinder Before 2017 Wisconsin Mill Explosion
• Wisconsin Corn Milling Plant Fined over $1.8M After Fatal Grain Dust Explosion