A 6-year-old boy visiting family in Tennessee over the weekend died in a freak accident inside a grain silo, authorities said.
Shawn Hudson Corum, of Victor, Idaho, became entangled in an auger system inside the silo, Lawrence County Sheriff Jimmy Brown said. An auger system, also known as a screw conveyor, is a long, cylindrical device that uses a "flighting," or a rotating screw blade to move grain from one location to another.
Lawrence County Sheriff Jimmy Brown said several agencies responded to the scene, located on Ethridge Red Hill Road in Ethridge.
"Personnel with Ethridge Fire Department, Henryville Fire Department, Lawrenceburg Fire Department, New Prospect Fire Department, Crawfish Valley Fire Department, Lawrence County EMS, Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, Ethridge Police Department and Vanderbilt LifeFlight responded and worked tirelessly to save the child," Brown said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Corum was beyond saving and was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff said.
"Please pray for the family and friends of Shawn, as well as the emergency personnel who responded to this tragic accident," Brown said.
Ethridge Police Department officials also offered sympathy to all of those involved, from the boy’s family and friends to those called to the scene in an effort to rescue him.
"A lot of broken hearts in our little town right now," the department's Facebook page read. "To the family, friends and everyone involved, the City of Ethridge is here for you."
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