Workers Recovering After Being Trapped in New York Sand Hopper

Four employees of a western New York sand and gravel businesses are recovering from minor injuries after one of them got trapped inside a hopper full of sand and the other three became stuck while trying to save him.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office tells local media that four men were loading a hopper Monday morning at Frontier Sand and Gravel in the town of Barre, 30 miles west of Rochester.

Deputies say a 61-year-old man tried to use a shovel to loosen a blockage when he got covered in sand. Police say the other three workers also became trapped when they tried to free him.

All four were able to get out with help from firefighters who arrived on the scene. Police say the men were treated at the scene for minor injuries.