There are times when things just happen that are completely tragic and it is hard to understand the circumstances as to why they actually happened…
A freak accident has claimed the life of a farmer and 16 of his cattle.
A farmer and 16 of his cattle have died in a freak accident after a “deadly dome of air” formed in a Wisconsin farm’s manure holding tank.
29-year-old farmer Michael Biadasz and 16 of his cows were found dead on the family farm in Amherst, Wisconsin when workers came in to begin hauling manure out of a holding tank.
Michael was emptying the manure tank when an atmospheric pressure caused by a storm trapped the methane gasses and prevented them from dissipating, killing Michael and 13 of his cattle instantly.
The young farmer inhaled the poisonous gas (either sulfur oxide or methane).
Bob Biadasz, Michael’s father, said that the unusual weather contributed to the accident.
Michael had emptied the tank many times in the past. The tank was ready to be pumped out. The air higher up was warm, and it trapped the deadly gasses in a dome that poisoned the cattle and Michael.
As you can imagine, the family is devastated.
Portage County Coroner Scott Rifleman said that gas poisonings usually happen in closed areas – which makes this case even more shocking.
“This is the first one I’ve handled that’s been open air like this,” he said. “I’ve handled a number of similar deaths but they have all been contained in confined, closed spaces. The concerning factor is that this was in an open air pit.”
The Biadasz family honored Michael by parking a line of tractors and machinery along the road that passes the farm. Among the vehicles parked are a blue tractor, several red trucks, and Michael’s black pickup truck.
Sources: OpposingViews, WAOW, WSAW
