CONTRACT WORKER INJURED AT LONE STAR

A worker was injured Saturday morning while performing repairs at Lone Star Industries.

Brian Neihoff, 23, was admitted to Southeast Missouri Hospital in stable condition after the 7:45 a.m. accident and was later discharged.

He was repairing an inlet damper on one of the cement manufacturer's dust collectors when the damper plate came down and pinned him, according to Steve Leus, the plant manager.

Leus described Neihoff's injuries as bruising.

A co-worker freed Neihoff from the damper, but it took Cape Girardeau firefighters another 45 minutes to extricate him from a 5-by-5-foot duct he was caught inside.

Battalion Chief Steve Niswonger said a paramedic and EMT made sure Neihoff was stable before firefighters slipped a pliable skid around the victim and pulled him 80 feet through the horizontal duct to safety.

Neihoff is employed by N&N Machine of Paducah, Ky. The company is doing repair work during Lone Star's month-long annual maintenance shutdown.

Lone Star is located at 2425 S. Sprigg St.