Mt. Leonard man one of two to die in Carrollton corn collapse/Two men were trapped for over three hours; harness broke, source says

A Mt. Leonard man died when he apparently fell into a pile of corn Tuesday, Feb. 20, officials said.

The accident at Ray-Carroll Grain Growers in Carrollton also claimed the life of a Carroll County resident, Carrollton Fire Chief Curtis Shields said Wednesday, Feb. 21.

David Gene Hamblen Jr., 30, of Mt. Leonard in Saline County -- who has a Malta Bend address -- was pronounced dead when Carrollton Fire Department workers were able to locate his body after several hours of digging.

Hamblen was trapped in the corn for over three hours, officials said. Also dead is William Lee Mace, 28, of Carrollton.

"He was a nice guy," Waggin Wheel owner Kim Gorrell said of Hamblen.

Hamblen came into the Malta Bend eatery on occasion to have lunch. He worked at Central Missouri Agri-Services in Malta Bend from December 2005 to July 2006, according to Central Missouri Agri-Services Regional Manager John Fletcher.

Hamblen had only been working for Ray-Carroll Grain Growers a short time, according to sources familar with the circumstances of the accident.

Hamblen and Mace were cleaning up a pile of corn when the auger got clogged, a source told The Marshall Democrat-News. Hamblen and Mace had safety harnesses on while attempting to clear the auger, the source said.

When the harnesses broke, they were sucked into the corn pile and trapped, the source said.

The fire department was called at 11:28 a.m. on Tuesday to the grain elevator in Carrollton, the fire chief said.

The emergency call regarded a rescue involving individuals trapped under 10 to 20 feet of corn, the chief said.

Everyone on the fire department's staff -- both paid and volunteers -- was called to assist in the rescue.

When emergency help arrived, Ray-Carroll officials determined that two individuals were trapped.

Digging commenced by hand, with shovels, backhoes and other heavy equipment used.

Shields said, according to the press release, that initially, shoring equipment was placed on site to secure the area.

However, when the grain began to shift, personnel were pulled out and heavy equipment was used to continue the digging.

About 2:50 p.m., the two bodies were found. Carroll County Coroner Steven Bittiker released the names of the individuals Wednesday morning.

According to Shields, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been contacted in connection with the incident.

Shields said OSHA is expected to be the lead agency in the investigation.

"It is much too early to speculate on a cause at this time," Shields said.

Contact Rachel Harper at

marshallcity@socket.net