Man hospitalized after falling 25 feet from grain silo near Rosalia

A man is in the hospital after falling 25 feet from a grain silo near Rosalia on Sunday evening.

The man scaled a 25-foot metal silo on File Road, off state Route 271, south of Rosalia around 5:20 p.m. At the top of the structure, he apparently lost his footing and fell to the ground below, according to a news release from the Whitman County Sheriff's Office.

Others present, who were associated with the man, called authorities after he fell.

The man incurred "multiple traumatic injuries" from the fall, according to the release. Whitman County Sheriff Brett Myers said the man was "bleeding significantly" when deputies arrived at the scene and likely had internal injuries as well. A deputy with paramedic experience acted quickly and applied a tourniquet to slow the bleeding, Myers said, before Rosalia emergency medical services arrived.

Because of the severity of his injuries, the man was taken by helicopter from the silo to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for further care, according to the release.

Based on body cam footage from his deputies, Myers said it appeared the man fell onto a metal and concrete border that surrounds the silo.

"It looks like it could be a long battle for this individual based on the injuries he sustained," Myers said.

Initial information indicates the man didn't have permission from the property owners to be there, Myers said. No one else there with the man was associated with the property owner.

The incident remains under investigation, Myers said. He's considering suggesting trespassing charges.

"On the one hand, the person doesn't have a right to be there," Myers said. "On the other, legal charges are probably the least of this person's concerns."

Myers said this kind of event doesn't happen often. Though grain silos smatter the Palouse, erected in wheat fields appearing to be "in the middle of nowhere," they are still someone's private property.

"It's always important to respect private property rights for a lot of reasons, but certainly when there's farm apparatuses or farm equipment, all those things come with inherent danger even for the people who operate those on a daily basis," he said.

"This person made a poor decision and the consequences with it might be one he lives with the rest of his life."

Elena Perry's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.

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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 7:16 PM.