Freak Accident Claims Farmer's Leg, But Not His Humor

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A freak accident on a grain elevator almost claimed the life of a farmer in West Central Minnesota.

On Aug. 3, Jeff Rohde turned on the power take off, and rode up the conveyor to stack straw bales. His nephew Brian Reece was working from the ground.

"I've done it a million times," Rohde said. "It was a little shaky when I got to the top. I jumped off, it took my leg and I hollered immediately for Brian to turn it off."

But it was too late. The sheer force of the machine tore off most of Rohde's left leg and he started losing a lot of blood.

That's when Reece's quick-thinking and training came into play. He ran up the bales to Rohde and his instincts took over.

Reece had served in the National Guard in Kuwait and he knew what to do.

"I ran to the top and threw a tourniquet on his leg," Rohde said. "And then I called 911."

Even then, Rohde still thought he might die. His dad passed away 14 years ago, but in that moment he saw his face.

"My dad was there," Rohde said. "It just lit up and it was just a white picture with a smile on his face. But he didn't say anything nor did he reach for me. That's when Brian shook me and said, 'Jeff you have to come back.'"

While waiting for paramedics, Rohde came to just enough to call his wife, Korinna, at work to tell her what happened. It took some time for Rohde to convince her it wasn't a joke.

"I grabbed my stuff and ran out of work and the whole time I was thinking it couldn't be real," said Korinna Rohde.

Rohde was airlifted to HCMC. He went through three surgeries and was told it was a miracle he lived. But the real miracle may be what's happening on Rohde's farm.

Volunteers have come from seemingly everywhere.

"It was overwhelming when Jeff and Korinna were here," Reece said. "It looked like St. Cloud. There were 150 people running around asking what they can do to help."

Among those helping out at the farm is Tom Berscheit. Years ago, Berscheit broke his legs in a construction accident and Rohde was one of the first there to help.

"They all did the same for me," Berscheit said. "You'd call him, he'd be right there to help. I'm just repaying the favor."

"Humbling, it really is," Rohde said. "You can have all the money in the world, but if you don't have family and friends, it don't mean a lot."

Friends and neighbors have given their time to mow the lawn, fix tractors and milk cows. And Reece, Rohde's nephew and, now, his hero, pauses every time he walks by the barn.

"I still think about it a lot," Reece said. "With your adrenaline not going it's scary."

"I wouldn't be here without him," Rohde said. "If I wouldn't have had a tourniquet on as soon as he put it on, I would have bled to death."

Rohde may have lost his leg, but he gained a new appreciation for life. And he's sure about one thing: His sense of humor has never been better.

"One of my special nieces is getting married on the 12th," Rohde said. "The first thing I told her was, 'Sammy, I can't do Footloose.'"

Rohde has already talked to doctors about a prosthetic and he hopes to be fitted for one by the end of the year.

He said he's looking forward to walking, working and riding a motorcycle with his wife again.

And he has a message for other farmers: Be careful and pay close attention to your work.