CCS graduate recovering in Denver after auger accident

Noah Griffin, a 2018 graduate of Chase County Schools, is recovering at Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, Colorado.
Griffin is working for Tom Luhrs this summer and was inside a grain bin on Monday.
According to his mother, Marsie Vetter, the sweep auger was at a point where it was supposed to stop.
“I don’t know if it didn’t stop or exactly what happened,” Vetter said, “but he thought it was supposed to stop and he crawled out of the bin and it ended up catching his jeans.”
Emmitt Zuege was working with Griffin that day and was able to stop the auger.
“Noah says he’ll go to his grave saying Emmitt saved his life,” Vetter said.
Griffin was transported to the Chase County Community Hospital (CCCH) by Imperial EMS.
“(CCCH) got him as stable as they could,” Vetter said.
Griffin received IVs and medical staff rewrapped his leg before he was life-flighted out to Denver.
Griffin’s older brother, Calen, works for Mutual of Omaha and was in Imperial “on a fluke,” Vetter said.
“(Calen) canceled his appointments and we left for Denver about an hour and a half after the accident,” she said.
Ryelee Christensen, a fellow CCS grad and friend of Griffin, is at a summer internship in Denver and was able to meet Noah at the hospital and stay until Vetter and Calen arrived.
“It’s been a lot of blessings in this whole fiasco,” Vetter said of Christensen’s help.
When Griffin arrived in Denver Monday, doctors “went in and cleaned the tissue out as best they could,” Vetter said.
“They left the wound open. It’s kind of closed, but no stitches.” No bone or vascular damage was found in the initial surgery.
Griffin’s next surgery is scheduled for today (Thursday), where doctors will see if there’s any dead tissue.
If none, “then they’ll rinse it out basically and stitch it up,” Vetter said.
If there is damage, the dead tissue will need to be removed.
“We just have to play it by ear,” Vetter added.
“He’s awake, he’s happy-go-lucky and just thankful to be alive,” Vetter said. “He is the same happy Noah.”
The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department and Chase County Sheriff’s Office also had personnel at the accident scene.
Griffin’s address at the hospital is Swedish Medical Center, Room 9120, East Hampden Ave., Englewood, Colorado 80113.