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Man dies after falling down silo chute in Wooster Township

Posted at 1:00 PM, Oct 20, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-21 07:27:52-04

A man died after falling into a silo on a farm in Wooster Township Thursday morning.

The incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. in the 3800 block of Maple Grove Road.

Rhett Acker, 32, was climbing up a ladder when he fell backwards into a silo chute, according to Captain Doug Hunter from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department.

"Apparently, while the man was servicing the silo, he slipped and fell and he became wedged essentially face up, feet up and could not free himself," Hunter said.

Acker initially fell six feet in the tight space, Wooster Township Fire Chief Chris Shook said. 

About 40 firefighters, including a confined spaces team, worked together to formulate a rope rescue plan with the hope of putting a harness on the victim and lowering him down the chute.

However, during the rescue attempt, Acker fell about 25 more feet. Crews were then able to remove him from the silo, but efforts to revive him were not successful.