This fatality’s Final Report was first posted on MSHA’s website on 11/7/23. No alerts or preliminary reports were produced.
On August 4, 2021, at 8:12 a.m., Jeffery Hudnall, a 60 year-old steam truck operator with 16 years of mining experience, was fatally injured while steam cleaning a front-end loader. Hudnall was standing on the front-end loader’s right-side deck when he fell over nine feet to a concrete pad.
Click here for Final Report (pdf).
On December 22, 2022, at approximately 12:00 p.m., Aidan Coon, a 21 year-old contract freeze treater with approximately two years of mining experience, was found unresponsive in his personal vehicle beside the mine office.
On December 22, 2022, MSHA was informed of a contractor’s death at Black Diamond Company’s Wellmore #8 Prep Plant in Big Rock, VA. MSHA’s initial findings indicated medical related issues as the cause of death. However, on March 31, 2023, MSHA received the death certificate and on April 12, 2023, MSHA received the autopsy report; both stated that the contractor died from carbon monoxide poisoning. After further investigation and review, MSHA has decided that this death should be charged to the mining industry.
The accident occurred because the mine operator and the contractor did not ensure the vehicle, used by the miner during his shift, was maintained in safe operating condition.
Click here for Final Report (pdf). No Preliminary Report or Fatal Alert was posted by MSHA. Classified as Other: CO2 Poisoning.
On August 18, 2023, a section foreman was installing hose for a dewatering pump. He was found unresponsive lying in approximately eight inches of water and mud. MSHA’s initial findings indicated medical related issues as the cause of death. However, on September 26, 2023, MSHA received the death certificate which states cause of death is drowning. After further investigation and review, MSHA has decided that this death should be charged to the mining industry.
This is the 34th fatality reported in 2023, and the second classified as “Drowning.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On October 2, 2023, a miner died after he was pinned between a shuttle car and a coal rib.
This is the 35th fatality reported in 2023, and the tenth classified as “Powered Haulage.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On August 30, 2023, a belt foreman died when a belt conveyor take-up unit component broke and struck him.
This is the 30th fatality reported in 2023, and the sixth classified as “Powered Haulage.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On August 5, 2023, a customer truck driver fell from a large container mounted on the trailer of his truck. After opening the container lid, the driver slipped while descending the container. The driver died from his injuries on August 7, 2023.
This is the 27th fatality reported in 2023, and the third classified as “Slip or Fall of Person.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On June 9, 2023, a contract truck driver died when an excavator bucket struck him. A contractor crew was using the excavator to assist in unloading a fuel tank from a lowboy trailer when the excavator bucket suddenly moved.
This is the 23rd fatality reported in 2023, and the eighth classified as “Machinery.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On February 26, 2023, a contract miner died while operating a bulldozer. The bulldozer traveled over the edge of an access road and rolled feet down an embankment, ejecting the miner from the operator’s cab. The miner was not wearing a seatbelt.
This is the ninth fatality reported in 2023, and the second classified as “Machinery”.
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On May 16, 2023, a bulldozer operator died when a spoil pile slid and engulfed the bulldozer he was operating. At the time of the accident, the bulldozer operator was repairing a ramp used to access water pumps in the pit.
This is the 19th fatality reported in 2023, and the first classified as “Falling, Rolling, or Sliding Rock or Material of Any Kind.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).
On April 20, 2023, a contract laborer died while removing the side plate off a shaker screen. The unsupported side plate fell over and struck him.
This is the 17th fatality reported in 2023, and the sixth classified as “Machinery.”
Click here for: Preliminary Report (pdf), Final Report (pdf).