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A 31-year-old Pine City man died after being caught in a hay baler on Thursday, July 24.
Jerrad Steven Wiener, of Pine City, was found to have been pulled into a large round hay baler shortly before 10 p.m. along 400th Street near Iris Avenue, according to a release from the North Branch Police Department.
North Branch Police Chief Stephen Forner said it appeared Wiener had tried to fix something inside the baler while performing farm work in a field. He said Wiener had placed a call to his wife, Steph Leach, telling her something was wrong with the piece of machinery. Wiener was working alone at the time of the incident.
Wiener’s tractor was still running when the man was discovered by his foster son, Cody, and cousin, Jacob. The two were there to pick up Wiener for the evening, Forner said.
Forner said police do not suspect foul play was involved in Wiener’s death.
“It was an accident,†Forner said.
However, he did say the likely culprit was a baler left running while being worked on. Because of this, he said to exercise caution when being around farm equipment. Balers work by collecting cut, dried grass and rolling it into a round using belts or rollers. They are hauled behind a tractor, and can produce bales weighing up to a ton.
“Don’t work around machinery without shutting it off,†Forner said. “Nothing slows them down.â€
He also said he feels for Wiener’s family, and offered them his condolences.
Wiener and Leach own Stan’s Radiator Service, an outdoor equipment retailer and service center in Pine City. Wiener’s aunt, Hiedi Cornelius, said Wiener had recently gone into a new farming venture.
Wiener had just purchased the hay baler a couple weeks ago from a farmer in North Branch and was invited to harvest the hay field that he had been working in at the time of the accident. Cornielus said Wiener’s new farming business had become a passion for him.
Wiener and Leach were married just recently in May. Wiener had just built a new barn, and the couple hosted their reception in it. The event was made even more special because the date was also their prized miniature bull’s, Bodacious, first birthday.
Cornelius said the couple had everyone sing “Happy Birthday†to the pet during the reception. The couple had started breeding miniatures during the past year, and Bo was the first one they had acquired.
Cornelius said it was difficult to drive into Wiener’s driveway last weekend, knowing that just a couple of months ago family and friends were celebrating there instead of mourning.
“I can’t believe how many people knew him,†Cornelius said, mentioning that Wiener had assisted many people who stopped in at Stan’s Radiator.
“He was just a good guy,†she said. “A lovable guy who just wanted to make people happy.â€
Visitation for Wiener is Monday, July 28 from 5-8 p.m. at Swanson Funeral Chapel in Pine City. The funeral is at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church on Tuesday, July 29 at 11 a.m.
The North Branch Police Department, North Branch Fire Department and Lakes Region EMS responded to this incident. The Dakota County Coroner’s Office was also involved.
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