Four Coal Miners Injured at Prenter Mine

Four coal miners were injured at a Prenter West Virginia coal mine on Monday.  According to newspaper reports, an axle on a transport vehicle broke while the miners were being transported into Mountain Edge Mining’s Dorothy Duke No. 3 mine.  The story is here. Beckley WV Coal Mine Accident Lawyer If you or a loved [...]

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13 Coal Mine Operations Told to Improve Safety

13 underground coal mine operations were told by federal regulators and Friday to improve safety at their mines.  Three of the coal mines are in West Virginia.  The Upper Big Branch mine in southern West Virginia would have been included in the list, but actions against Performance Coal Company, the owner of Upper Big Branch, [...]

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Fayette County Coal Miner Killed in Mine Accident

A Fayette County coal miner was killed on Monday after a piece of rock fell on him at the Alpha Natural Resources Kingston Number 1 Mine in Fayette County.  William Dooley, 56, was killed in the underground accident just after finishing bolting a section in the mine.  Mr. Dooley had operated a roof bolting equipment [...]

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Marion County Coal Miner Killed in Accident

Another West Virginia coal miner has lost his life in this tragic year.  The Charleston Gazette reported yesterday that 39-year-old Jessie Adkins was killed in a rib roll at Consol Energy’s Loveridge Mine in Fairview, Marion County.  A rib roll is where a block of left over coal comes loose from the wall or ceiling [...]

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Another Massey Miner Killed by Coal Mine Accident

James Erwin of Delbarton, West Virginia, passed away Friday morning following an accident on May 10, 2010.  According to the Charleston Gazette story located here, Mr. Erwin was caught between a shuttle car and the mine wall.  The incident occurred at the Ruby Energy Mine near Delbarton.  The mine is owned by a Massey subsidiary. [...]

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Rescue Teams Pull Out of WV Coal Mine Third Time

Four WV Coal Miners remain trapped at the Massey Energy coal mine near Naoma West Virginia following Monday’s explosion.  According to a short article from the Charleston Gazette, rescue teams had to pull out of the mine a third time after they encountered smoke.  The article is here. The article did note that the rescue [...]

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Citations At Massey Mine Numerous Prior to Explosion

The Massey Energy Company owned Upper Big Branch Mine was subject to a number of safety violations in the time leading up to the explosion that has taken the life of twenty-five West Virginia Coal miners in Raleigh County.  According to an article in the Charleston Gazette located here, miners were so concerned about conditions [...]

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25 Miners Killed in Raleigh County Coal Mine Explosion

The worst fears of coal miners, their families, and residents in southern West Virginia were confirmed last night in a 2 a.m. press conference.  According to a story in the Charleston Gazette, 25 miners were confirmed dead and four others are still missing following a massive explosion at Performance Coals Upper Big Branch Coal Mine. [...]

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First Coal Mining Death in WV in 2009?

The first coal mining-related death in West Virginia in 2009 could be as a result of a single vehicle car accident.  The Charleston Gazette reported today that a miner was killed as he left a Patriot Coal Corporation facility in eastern Kanawha County.  The story is here. Even though this is a car accident, officials [...]

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WV Coal Slurry Accident Lawyer

In the aftermath of a 300 acre coal ash spill in Tennessee, the Register-Herald ran an editorial this week asking whether coal waste sludge ponds found in West Virginia are safe.  The article is here.  The editorial takes a look at a problem that is much closer to home in the coalfields of West Virginia [...]

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