A grain elevator explosion at Tate & Lyle in Francesville, Indiana has left two men hospitalized with severe burn injuries. Timothy Reidelbach, 57, and Glen Tiede, 67, were treated at the scene and airlifted to the Parkview Hospital burn unit in Fort Wayne where they are both in critical condition. UPDATE OCTOBER 12 The two men succumbed to their injuries passing away one day apart.
The explosion, which occurred around 2 p.m. on September 26 is being investigated by the Indiana Fire Marshall, NIPSCO and Tate & Lyle. They have determined that a dust explosion was triggered by a “catastrophic failure of the downward leg.” Tate & Lyle is a multinational agribusiness with operations in corn wet milling and the production of high-intensity sweeteners namely SPLENDA sucralose.