“A call came in for right down the road” Farmer said.
Son #4, who was out in the middle of the field, is on the
Volunteer Fire Department and his pager went off. He called Farmer to let him
know.
“What kind of call?” I asked. He mumbled something and then
said, “I hope it’s not (insert local farm business). One of their guys might be
out in the field.”
I wasn’t paying real close attention. I just returned from a
root canal on an abscessed tooth and wasn’t feeling real well.
“Want to ride out there”?
“Nope” I replied as I was heading to the couch.
He walked out the door and I answered my cell phone. It was
a daughter-in-law. I was chatting with her while watching Farmer out the
window. He was heading west on our road and I saw him stop and then an
emergency truck from the fire department met him coming the other way. The
truck passed him and pulled into the farm driveway.
Farmer peeled out backwards and flew up the driveway. I saw
him run towards a fertilizer truck that was parked next to our truck that
carries our fertilizer in a tank out to the fields.
“Crap” I thought, hung up the phone and ran over.
The guy from the (insert local farm business) had been
filling our tank with fertilizer from his truck. Our tank holds 1300 gallons.
Just as he finished filling the tank, the bottom connection and only
connection, where the hose had been hooked between our tank and his busted
loose. The fertilizer was spraying all over him. He was trying to stop the flow
with his hands and he was covered in fertilizer. It was in his eyes and he
couldn’t see. He was hollering when Farmer got to him.
Because the positions of the truck were T-boned, no one
could see him, even when they drove up the barn driveway. No one could hear him
screaming with the tractors, chopper and wagons driving in and out the
driveway. He had been covered in fertilizer and couldn’t see for about fifteen
minutes he thought by the time he managed to get his phone and call 911.
When I got there the firemen in the emergency vehicle had
him down off the back of the truck and were rinsing his eyes with water from bottles.
Son #2 showed up out of nowhere and he and Farmer were trying to plug up the
hole from the outside. If they couldn’t get the hole plugged we would have lost
the 1300 gallons. They were grabbing whatever they could find to shove in the
hole.
When I asked “What can I do”? Farmer said to go get pails of
water on the back of the truck, some pants (the guys store their uniform pants
at the barn) and goggles.
As I headed to the shop I called Son #4 who was out in the
field and asked him to “get up here and help.” “I am, I’m headed there now” he
informed me.
I ran to the shop, found the goggles. Then I drove the truck
down to the old parlor, filled up 3 pails with water. I grabbed the pants and
was headed back to the truck. Farmer was running by with a long pole, threw it
in the back of the truck, jumped into the truck and said “Go!”
As fast as I could without spilling all the water I headed
back to the trucks.
By then, the large fire tanker truck with water and another truck had arrived
and they were spraying off fertilizer man.
I carried the water to the back of the truck where Farmer
and Son #2 would alternately try to plug the hole and rinse their hands and
arms.
Farmer and Son# 2 came up with a plan. Wrap a coat (we used
a coat because it was the only thing there in the truck) around the long pole
that Farmer got and shove it down into the hole from the top of the tank. So
they were going to plug it from the inside out.
One of the firemen took the pole, climbed to the top of the
tank and guided the pole down into the tank. After a couple attempts it worked.
Farmer and Son #2 rinsed their arms and Son #2 went to the shop to try to fix
or replace the broken pipe.
The firemen spoke to the business
that delivered the fertilizer and determined it was starter fertilizer. Starter
fertilizer is used to help get the corn off to a good start. The liquid nitrogen
in the fertilizer is 28% and there are also other ingredients. But, this mix
wasn’t as strong as some other mixes.
Meanwhile, fertilizer man had taken off most of his clothes
as he waited for the ambulance. Two police cars arrived to join the mayhem.
In those short 30 minutes we had a semi that drove into the
farm to deliver feed. I moved the fire hose so he wouldn’t run over it. Then we
had a truck with cattle trailer come through. The milkman arrived followed by
the UPS man. So the barn driveway was a major thorough fare.
The paramedics arrived and determined the fertilizer guy
didn’t need to go to the hospital. He was washed down again. They gave him a
sweatshirt, a pair of sweat pants and told to go home and shower well.
After all the lights and sirens left, fertilizer man stood
around and rehashed what happened with Son #2 and Farmer. He felt fine and didn’t
seem to be phased a bit.
Seeing that they had it all under control and Praise God for
his protection again, I went home.
At that time I could take my pulse by the pain beating in my
mouth. All that running around and lifting the heavy pails, riled up my tooth.
I washed my hands and settled into the recliner when I
detected a smell like when I dye my hair. I looked at my new jeans and really
cute top that I had on from going to the dentist. Traces of dried mud laced
with fertilizer were smeared on the bottom of my pants. I couldn’t see where my
shirt had been dirtied, but I could smell it. So it all went into the washing
machine.
I think I just might have to replace my outfit, on the farm’s
dime, of course. I wouldn’t want to risk the danger of toxins left on my
clothing. After all, it’s the safe responsible thing to do.
