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Mining
Disaster Articles
HARLAN
COAL MINER KILLED BY FALLING TREE
April
3,1985
A Harlan County
coal miner was killed yesterday morning while clearing brush to build a
silt pond for an underground mine.
Daniel Saylor, 51,
was killed when a tree he was cutting was caught by a
strong gust of wind,
fell the wrong way and crushed him, said Dewey
Middleton, district
supervisor of the state Department of Mines and Minerals
office.
Researcher
Elva Nolan Morgan
Copyright
2000
October
13, 1992
Courier-Journal
Louisville
Brookside, Ky. --
Two miners were killed yesterday when their car was crushed by a loaded
coal truck on a private mining road in Harlan County. The victims were
Randy E. White, 37, of Stoney Fork in Bell County, and Jay E. Allen, 33,
of Harrogate, Tenn. Both were killed instantly. The driver of the truck,
Randy E. Brock, 27, of Stoney Fork, was not hurt. Brock lost control of
the truck on a curve near Manalipan Mine. The truck hit the driver's side
of the car, then tipped over onto the car.
The truck was owned
by Charles Saylor of Kettle Island, in Bell County
Researcher
Elva Nolan Morgan
Bell
Co. Mine War-Fatal to 4
Cumberland,
Ky
April
17, 1941
After a hail of
bullets early Tuesday morning on a dark mountainside road near Middlesboro,
Ky, killed four men-including the president and vice president of a coal
mine and wounded possibly twenty-five others. Gov. Keen Johnson telegraphed
President Roosevelt that the Eastern Ky work stoppage had caused a grave
situation. Dead were C. W. Rhodes 48, Middlesboro president of the
mine company and of the American Association, a bituminous mining group
which founded Middlesboro. E. W. Silvers, vice President and treasurer
of the Fork Ridge Company. Bob Robinson 38, Tazewell, Tenn and a deputy
sheriff of Claiborne Co, Tenn. Sam Evans 48, a miner in nearby Ky. Bell
Co miners who went to the hospital, John Holland, who had his left leg
amputated. Earl Alley, Balkan; Millard Forester, Cary; Clayton Webb, Capito;
Alford Smith, Walter Polly, Arjay; Deputy Sheriff R. W. Lawson, and A.
J. Napier.
100 cars and truck
loads of miners most of them bearing Harlan County license plates, drove
out of Middlesboro after midnight toward the Fork Ridge mine to shut it
down. A. T. Pace a United Mine official said Fork Ridge located one mile
from the border in Tenn was the last mine to stop working. The union officials
and the miners had set up a barricade on the way to Middlesboro and after
an exchange of words, bullets rang out. No arrests were made.
Elva Nolan Morgan
Researcher
Two
Miners Killed by Falling Slate
Harlan
Enterprise
February
24, 1922
Roy King age about
50 years and James Pace, a young man about 25 years old, were killed in
a slate fall at the Cornett-Lewis mines at Louellen some seven or eight
miles from the city Wednesday night. The funeral arrangements have not
been announced.
Researcher
Elva Nolan Morgan
Tommy
Allen Middleton-Fatal Mine Acc-1989
LEXINGTON
HERALD-LEADER
Nov
09, 1984
MINER
DIES OF INJURIES RECEIVED IN HARLAN COUNTY ROOF COLLAPSE
A roof fall at a
Harlan County mine Wednesday night resulted in the death
of Tommy Allen Middleton,
29, of Bledsoe. He died about 4:30 a.m. yesterday at the Appalachian Regional
Hospital in Harlan of injuries he received in the roof fall.
Researcher
Elva nolan Morgan
E.C.Brittain
Killed In Slate Fall--Harlan-1922
Harlan
Enterprise
January
6.1922
Killed
In Slate Fall At McCombs
Brother
Of Carlos Brittain, Meets Instant Death
E.C. Brittian was
killed in a slate fall at the McCombs Mines Tuesday about one o'clock.
He lived but an hour and a half after he had been rescued. He was engaged
digging coal when the accident happened, with no one beside him.
He had been a miner
for a long time. The deceased was 44 years old and had a wife and seven
children. He was the brother of Carlos Brittain, a member of the Harlan
City Council. His father and mother are yet living and reside in Pulaski,
Ky; where he also has two other surviving brothers; Hiram and James Brittain.
A sister Mrs. Armity Eads, lives in Elrod, Ky. The funeral arrangements
will be made when all the brothers and sisters arrive. It is said
the parents are to feeble to withstand the trip here to attend the funeral
service. The father but lately visited the son of McComb and the surviving
son residing here. The funeral service was conducted by Rev. J.R. Black,
pastor of the Baptist church, at the home of C.B.Brittain at 1 o'clock,
Thursday afternoon and burial followed in the Smith cemetery near Tway's.
Researcher
Elva Nolan Morgan
Miner
Fatality: Barney W. Clay--1997
ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION REPORT
(Underground
Coal Mine)
FATAL
FALL OF RIB
No.
37 Mine (I.D. 15-04670)
Cumberland,
Harlan County, Kentucky
December
26, 1997
Barney Wayne Clay,
age 47, continuous miner operator with 25 years of mining experience, suffered
fatal crushing injuries while tramming the continuous miner to the face
of the No. 3 entry on the 016 MMU. The victim was operating the machine
by remote control proceeding up the No. 3 entry when the rib fell striking
him and resulting in fatal injuries. The fall of rib measured 23 feet long,
10 feet 07 inches high, and up to 42 inches thick. The coal rib collapsed
as a result of the release of strain energy in pillars designed to yield
for the purpose of reducing the potential for coal "bumps" in the area.
The failure of the mine operator to support or to otherwise control the
rib where persons are required to work and travel contributed to the accident.
Clay was found by two co-workers, George Birman, his helper, and Ottis
Gilliam, shuttle car operator, who had been observing the continuous miner's
cable. Clay was discovered lying approximately seven (7) feet out in the
entry face down with loose coal and rock covering him from just above his
knees to his feet. The victim was reportedly conscious and alert when he
was discovered. The rock was removed from the victim by Birman and Gillian.
The victim was then placed on a stretcher for transportation out of the
mine. Upon arrival on the surface the victim was examined by an Emergency
Medical Technician and transported by a Johnson Life Care ambulance to
the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital. Clay's condition worsened and
he was subsequently air lifted to the U.K. Regional Hospital where he died
at 4:40 p.m. as a result of respiratory arrest due to post trauma pulmonary
insufficiency.
Researcher:
Elva Nolan Morgan
Miner
Fatality David D. Ledford--1996
FATAL
POWERED HAULAGE ACCIDENT
RB
Coal Co., Inc.
RB
# 4 Mine
I.D.
No. 15-08293
Pathfork,
Harlan County, Kentucky
Investigation.
March
20, 1996
OVERVIEW
On March 20, 1996
at approximately 5:30 p.m., a fatal powered- haulage
accident occurred
at the RB Coal Co., Inc., RB # 4 Mine, I.D. No. 15-08293. The accident
occurred in the 38th crosscut inby the 002-0 MMU Section head drive, in
the number five panel. The mine is located near Pathfork in Harlan County,
Kentucky.
The victim, David
D. Ledford, was operating a Model 482 S & S Scoop and was engaged in
cleaning loose coal and soft mine floor from under and around the front
bridge section of the Long Airdox Continuous Haulage System when his head
came in contact with the metal frame of the elevated bridge. Rescue efforts
began by fellow employees and company personnel and were joined by State
Department of Mines and Minerals and continued until the victim was recovered.
Ledford was transported to the surface area of the mine where he was pronounced
dead by Harlan County Coroner, Philip Bianchi, at approximately 8:35 p.m.
Researcher:Elva Nolan
Morgan
Accident
Investigation Report
(Underground
Coal Mine)
Fatal
Powered Haulage Accident
Mine
#1 (ID: 15-17781)
R
& R Coal Co.
Evarts,
Harlan County, Kentucky
June
06, 1998
At approximately
8:45 a.m., on Saturday, June 06, 1998 a fatal powered haulage accident
occurred at the R & R Coal Co.'s Mine #1. Jeffery R. Bowman, a 35 year
old section foreman with eighteen years of total mining experience, nine
as a mine foreman and with fifteen months at this mine, suffered fatal
injures while operating a Model 482 Long-Airdox scoop at the location of
the 001 working section loading point. The victim and three miners were
in the process of installing a conveyor belt drive.While applying down-pressure
at the rear of the skid frame, the scoop bucket slipped off the left side
of the skid frame. The loss of contact on the left side of the scoop bucket
resulted in the right (operator's) side of the scoop being thrust upward
forcefully and the victim's head struck the mine roof. The scoop
came to rest on the mine floor and Bowman was found slumped over in the
operator's compartment. Roy Middleton, a maintenance person, and one of
the three miners present, checked for vital signs and stated that he detected
a heartbeat during his examination of Bowman. Attempts were also made by
the co-workers to communicate with the victim, without success.
According to statements
obtained during interviews there was no one present on the surface, outside
of the mine. Tim Wynn, another of the three miners at the scene, traveled
out of the mine via personnel carrier, a distance of approximately 2900
feet, to call for assistance. Upon his arrival on the surface at approximately
9:00 a.m., Wynn reportedly discovered that the telephone located in the
mine office did not work properly due to the touch-pad buttons sticking.
He subsequently left the mine office and traveled two miles down the mine
access road to the Manalapan Mining Company, Inc. office where he telephoned
for an ambulance. During this period, the other two (2) co-workers, Walter
Wynn and Roy Middleton attempted to revive Bowman and to keep his airway
clear, without success.
The victim was then
placed on a stretcher for transportation out of the mine via personnel
carrier. Upon arrival on the surface, at approximately 9:15 a.m., the victim
was examined by Mountain Emergency Medical Service personnel. No signs
of cardiac activity were found. Philip Bianchi, Harlan County Coroner,
was called to the scene and pronounced the victim dead at 10:59 a.m.
The cause of death,
according to the Coroner's Report, was attributed to, "blunt force (impact)
injures of the head" and "forced impact of head into fixed object (Roof
of Coal Mines)
Researcher
elva Nolan Morgan
ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION REPORT
(SURFACE
COAL MINE)
FATAL
POWERED HAULAGE ACCIDENT, CLOVERFORK MINING AND EXCAVATING, INCORPORATED
KENTUCKY-WEST
VIRGINIA STRIP
ID
NO. 15-17648
LEONS
TRUCKING, CONTRACTOR ID NO. (G4E)
PATHFORK,
HARLAN COUNTY, KENTUCKY
AUGUST
19, 1998
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT
On Wednesday, August
19, 1998, at approximately 6:00 a.m., Harvey Wilder, an independent contractor
employee and coal truck driver for Leons Trucking, arrived at the Kentucky-West
Virginia surface mine. Wilder was operating a 1971, DM-800 Mack truck,
which he had driven from the shop/truck parking lot located at Pathfork,
Harlan County, Kentucky. Upon arrival at the mine, he was informed by co-workers
that the trucks were to be loaded at the Wallins Coal Pit. At 6:44 a.m.,
Wilder transported his first load of raw coal to the company-owned preparation
plant located approximately 9.5 miles away. He dumped this first load at
7:22 a.m. The shift then proceeded normally and Wilder dumped his second
load at 8:56 a.m., a third load at 10:45 a.m., and a fourth load of coal
was dumped at 12:47 p.m. as indicated by the weigh tickets from the preparation
plant.
Wilder left the
preparation plant and returned to the Wallins Pit area. At 1:55 p.m.
the end loader operator, Robert Caruso, completed the loading of
Wilder's truck. Wilder left the coal pit and had traveled approximately
2.3 miles down the haul road when at approximately 2:30 p.m. he apparently
lost control of the truck which overturned onto the mine haul road. The
victim apparently either jumped or was thrown from the overturning truck
and was crushed between the truck bed and the haul road surface.
At approximately 2:35 p.m., Mike Miracle, a water truck driver for Cloverfork
Mining and Excavating, Incorporated, was traveling down the haul road and
came upon the accident scene. Scott Brock, a truck driver for B&S trucking,
arrived shortly after Miracle. The two walked down to the overturned coal
truck and checked the operator's cab. They observed no one in the cab and
assumed the driver had caught a ride with someone, since he could not be
located.
Moments later, the
two observed Wilder under the overturned truck and immediately returned
to a vehicle and called for assistance on a citizens band radio. As a result,
co-workers from the Kentucky-West Virginia Strip surface mine site arrived
at the scene to assist with recovery efforts. The Harlan County Emergency
Rescue Squad and the Kentucky State Police were immediately notified by
Patricia Thompson, a secretary for RB Coal Company at approximately 2:45
p.m.
A front end loader
was brought from the Kentucky-West Virginia Strip surface mine site to
assist in the recovery efforts. The truck bed was raised slightly and supported
with wooden material. The victim was subsequently removed from beneath
the truck bed and pronounced dead at 4:00 p.m. by Harlan County Coroner,
Phillip Bianchi. Wilders' body was transported by Mountain Emergency Medical
Services to the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital located approximately
21 miles away in Harlan, Kentucky.
Researcher
Elva Nolan Morgan
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