Workers rescued from sand bin in Upper Freehold

Toms River men are trapped for three hours.

By: Cynthia Koons
   UPPER FREEHOLD — Two employees of Clayton Block Co. on Route 526 became trapped in a sand bin there Friday after one of them fell into the bin and the other attempted to save him, spawning a rescue mission that spanned more than three hours.
   Steven White and Glen Adams, both from Toms River, were attempting to free sand they believed was frozen when Mr. White fell into the bin and was swallowed by sand up to his neck. Mr. Adams entered the vat to rescue him and became lodged himself in sand up to his waist.
   "It took almost three hours to rescue them," said Doug Vorp, a firefighter from Hope Fire Company. "The vast majority of the people who responded were volunteers, so they took time off from their jobs in other towns to help with this."
   At the scene were the Allentown First Aid Squad, the New Jersey State Police, Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC) First Aid, Task Force 801, Mercer County Paramedics, the Mercer County fire coordinator, Millstone Fire Company and a Northstar Medivac helicopter from the state police, said Mr. Vorp, who oversaw the rescue effort.
   "It could have had quite a tragic result," State Police Sgt. Kevin Rehmann said. "But fortunately it all worked out pretty well."
   Mr. White was airlifted to Capital Health System, Fuld Campus, in Trenton, where he was treated and has since been released. Mr. Adams was treated and released at the scene, Sgt. Rehmann said.
   He said the bins were located outside and that other employees assisted in the rescue efforts.
   "Mr. White attempted to dislodge the sand and became stuck," Sgt. Rehmann said. "They thought it was frozen. He ends up falling into the bin up to his neck. Mr. Adams jumped in, attempting to save him and became stuck up to his waist.
   "Other employees joined the rescue effort, bailing sand away from his face to keep him from suffocating," he said.
   Mr. Adams was freed from the bin first, and, nearly four hours later, Mr. White was removed.
   "I think they used slings and other hoists (to free him)," Sgt. Rehmann said.
   Mr. Vorp said when the call came, the department was given little information about the emergency.
   "We got requested for a rescue and we found out that it was somebody trapped in a bin," he said. "These men were trapped in hoppers. They’re just large bins that take the stone, sand and concrete mix and that’s what (these men) were trapped in — it’s all the dry stuff that you then add water to make cement."
   Sgt. Rehmann said the bins are about 6 feet across and hold two tractor-trailer loads of sand.