The coal-mining industry has long been pockmarked with the untimely deaths of the men who toil deep within the bowels of the earth to bring coal to the surface to power America. But it would be a mistake to not connect all the deaths of the men in women who work in industries that are ancillary to the coal-mining industry to the list of fatal coal mine accidents just because they were above ground when they died.
Below are some basic details of one man’s fatal injuries last year while working on the property of Phoenix Federal NO. 2 Mine in Fairview.
Transport worker dies in a mine-related accident
The inoperable mine in Fairview still maintained a skeleton crew of eight men working shifts to maintain the mine’s surface area. On a cold February day last winter, transport company workers were on-site attempting to load and remove a non-working 773D Caterpillar rock truck from the mine’s premises.
Workers positioned the equipment atop a lowboy/I-beam trailer. During this process, the workers used a series of hand signals to guide the driver into position. After beckoning the driver to move forward, the victim’s lower body was subsequently crushed by the front axle and dual tandem tires of the lowboy/trailer.
In order to free the victim, the heavy equipment was forced to reverse, and the tires went over his body again. Although initially conscious and talking, the 50-year-old victim later succumbed to his extensive injuries later that day.
Did you lose a loved one in a mine-related accident?
Mining accidents, whether above or below the surface of the earth, can be devastating. If you lost a loved one in such an accident, you may be able to recover compensation by filing a wrongful death action against those individuals and entities who bear liability for your losses and other damages.
