Miner Dies After Fall at Coal Operation Owned by WV Gov

A worker died Monday night after falling in a West Virginia Southern Coal Corp. coal preparation plant owned by the state’s governor, the Associated Press (AP) and several local media organizations reported.

The cause of the worker’s fall and fatal injuries at the Bishop Preparation Plant located near Squire, WV are unknown, according to Patrick Graham, vice president for Southern Coal Corp., which is owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, the AP reported.

“My heart is heavy with the sad news out of Squire. Cathy and I ask all West Virginians to join us in praying for the lost coal miner and his family. Tragic accidents like this just break all of our hearts and our state is grateful to have a close-knit mining community that steps up on these most difficult days,” a statement released by Gov. Justice’s office on Tuesday said.

The man died at about 10:30 p.m. Monday after falling at the site. Southern Coal and state and federal mining agencies are investigating the incident, Graham said.

“There has been an incident. The Office of Miners Health Safety and Training is investigating. I will release more information as it becomes available,” a statement from the state’s miner health agency to the Charlestown Gazette-Mail said.

A listing recently added to the U.S. Mining Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) list of preliminary accident reports, fatalgrams, and fatal investigation reports for 2017 lists a fatality caused by “slip or fall of person” at a surface facility operated by Chestnut Land Holdings LLC called the “Bishop Impoundment Area.”

The MSHA has recorded three mining fatalities so far in 2017.

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