Arick’s close call happened on June 26, 2013, when he climbed into a grain bin on his family’s farm to break loose a layer of moldy corn so the grain could be hauled to the co-op.

Omer and his father, Mike, started that day hauling corn. While he waited for Mike to return, Omer went to the top of the bin to look at the farm below. “The bin was a little over half full ...